


Family is an "F"-Word

by Crystal_Prisom



Category: Deadpool (Movieverse), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Idiots in Love, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:08:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24918100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crystal_Prisom/pseuds/Crystal_Prisom
Summary: *after the events of Deadpool 2, finally featuring the rest of the X-Men cast!*After using his last charge to save Wilson's life, the time-traveling mutant known as Cable finds himself at a loss. He is misplaced in an era that he has no experience of and no other relations to any people in this time (except for his biological parents that aren't even together, yet). Knowing that his options are limited, he accepts Colossus' offer to reside in the X-Mansion for the time being, taking the risk that his parents might uncover the truth of his origins.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nathan Summers/Wade Wilson
Comments: 7
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

_Nothing will ever be the same again._

So Nathan Summers mused as he sat up against the backseat of Dopinder's cab, staring out the window as the trees and brush blurred into a blur of green. Trees and wildlife, something that had been rendered completely fictional in his time, in the future. Whether he liked it or not, he was in foreign territory and clearly out of his depth.

Colossus had graciously offered a room for the time-traveler, and with no knowledge of this time, Cable had no choice but to accept. Domino had a place of her own and left promptly after seeing that everything was fixed, hotwiring a pick-up truck quickly. 

Cable knew that he was taking a big risk; if his father discovered the truth behind his origins, he could be altering history. If this took every wrong turn, he might not exist. His jaw clenched as he thought of the possibilities. His head snapped up slightly as the tree line broke, displaying the School in its white-marbled glory. _Too late to back out now..._

"What's going on in that Terminator head of yours?"

Gritting his teeth and groaning under his breath, Nathan turned away from the window to stare directly ahead of him. In the passenger seat in front of him, Wilson had turned around so that he was staring back at Cable. At that precise moment, Nathan wanted nothing more than to telekinetically throw the idiot out the window, or at least clamp his lips shut. The telepath had even attempted to read his mind a while back when they had been on opposite sides of the battlefield, but the mind of the merc had proven to be a jumble of chaotic thoughts and things that made no sense. Just the thought of it gave him a headache...

"-earth to Cable!"

Nathan groaned. "Talk to someone else," he ground out through clenched teeth. "I've run out of patience to deal with you."

Wade whined pleadingly. "But Colossus won't talk to me at all! And I'm tired of listening to Dopinder's Tom Cruise analogies. It's kind of getting disturbing at this point," he stage-whispered. 

Cable shut his eyes tightly and counted down in his head. _You just saved this idiot's life. You can't kill him._ "I'm not in the mood, _Wilson."_

Thankfully, Wade got the hint and pouted, spinning around in his seat to face forward as the taxi pulled up into the driveway before the front doors. Nathan took one last look out the shut window, looking up at the building. Steeling himself, he exited the car as Wade and Colossus had done already. 

The double doors of the mansion slammed open, and a gruff-looking man stormed outside, beelining toward Deadpool. Cable stood where the taxi had once been seconds before, behind Colossus as he watched in amusement. The mutant had unleashed metal claws that were pointed directly at Wilson, who was slowly backing away with raised arms. "Whoa! Let's talk about this, Wolvie! Use your words to express your _feelings_..."

"You've got a lot of explaining to do, bub," the other growled menacingly before leaping at the loud-mouth merc, who yelped as he ran in the opposite direction. Cable quickly identified the mutant to be Wolverine, still standing away from the epicenter of this display of violence. Meanwhile, Wade was running circles around a perplexed Colossus with Logan in full-fledged pursuit, spitting curses all the while. Colossus shot Cable a look of desperation, and Nathan sighed, taking one step forward to help when the doors opened again.

"Logan, that's enough!" 

All heads turned to face the head of the School, Charles Xavier, flanked on either side by none other than Scott Summers, Jean Grey, and Ororo Munroe. Cable's shoulders tensed at the sight of his father, but he schooled his face to betray no other emotion. Xavier turned his head to face Wolverine and Deadpool, both of them being held in the air by their collars by Colossus. 

Wade started talking rapidly. "Really? Why did you decide to make your grand fucking appearance NOW? Where were you when I was in here the past few days? Why weren't you helping with the goddamned Juggernaut?! By the way, is it really the Patrick Stewart timeline that we're in? These are so confusing..."

Logan snarled. "Just let me shut him up, Tin Man. I'd be doing the world a fucking favor!"

Xavier held up a placating hand. "No, Logan. Wade is welcome here as a mutant. Piotr, could you please put them both down?" The metal mutant did as directed, and Logan glared at a seemingly oblivious Deadpool.

The telepath in the wheelchair smiled warmly at them all. "Yukio and Negasonic Teenage Warhead have returned and told me what happened with the Juggernaut. Why don't you all come in and fill me in on how this all happened?"

* * *

Nathan soon found himself in the large office of the founder of the School, leaning against a nearby wall as Wade sat down in one of the couches. Cyclops, Phoenix, and Storm stood near the Professor as Logan reclined near the door. Xavier turned to Cable, eyes curious. "Why don't you sit down, stranger? My name is Charles Xavier. I run this school, which you must know by now is a school for mutants."

Cable reluctantly left his spot against the wall, passing by Wolverine who kept giving him shifty looks as he sat on the same long couch that Wade was reclining in, moving to the opposite end to put as much distance between himself and the red merc. "My name is Cable," he said shortly, clenching his metal hand tightly and then releasing it.

"What kind of name is 'Cable'?" Scott sounded from behind the Professor, a suspicious tilt to his voice. 

Nathan gritted his teeth as his cybernetic eye flashed in aggravation. "My name is of no concern to you," he said in a low voice. "I've traveled through time to come here. My family was killed by a mutant who called himself 'Firefist.' You know him as Russell. I came here to kill him and prevent the deaths of my family. Deadpool stood against me, and we teamed up to fight the Juggernaut. In the process, Deadpool prevented Russell from becoming a killer, and that was it."

Ororo frowned slightly. "Why didn't you just leave after it was finished?"

Deadpool piped up. "Well, the funny thing is, I actually almost died in the process of saving the kid, so the Terminator here used his second charge in his time-traveling device to rewind time and save my life! The second charge was supposed to get him back, but now he can't go back. Or is it forward?" the merc paused, tilting his head in thought.

From the door, Logan groaned. "Jesus, you mean that the fucker was dead and you brought him back? What the hell were you thinking?"

Nathan sighed. "I find myself pondering the same question as well."

As Wade shouted betrayal toward Logan and Nathan, Jean leaned closer to Xavier. "If he's not a mutant, he can't stay," she said under her breath. 

Colossus stood up. "There is no need," he rumbled. "Cable is a mutant. He and Wade will stay here."

Logan jolted in response, walking forward. "Now wait a goddamn minute-"

"Is he a mutant, though?" Scott asked, fixing a scrutinizing look through his visor at Nathan, who met the gaze with one of his own. "The metal doesn't make him a mutant."

Feeling frustrated by the lack of progress being made in this conversation as the others continued to argue, Nathan looked to the mahogany desk in the room, fixating his gaze on a glass paperweight in the shape of a sitting cat. He stood up suddenly, his cybernetic eye glowing, and a blue aura encompassed the glass paperweight. The object levitated and flew towards Nathan's outstretched hand as he caught it effortlessly. 

(And if it caused both Logan and Scott to jerk away from the path that it took as it was flying through the air, who was he to complain?)

"Look," Nathan started as he stood up, "I am a mutant who has been displaced through time. I won't be staying here long, trust me. I just need to find my footing in this time, and I'll be out of your hair."

Xavier stared at the glass paperweight that Nathan held in his hand for a second longer before he looked up with that warm smile. "Of course. Scott, could you please show Cable to his room? I trust that you already have a room, Wade Wilson."

Wade waved a hand in dismissal. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be leaving; I have a session with a bottle of lotion and Mr. _Left Hand_ , so if you'll excuse me..."

The women in the room recoiled in disgust as the merc left the room, and Nathan shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose with his pointer finger and thumb. _Jesus Christ..._

Scott cleared his throat uncomfortably. "So... I'll bring you to your room, then." Nathan nodded once, grabbing what little belongings he had packed in a duffel bag (mostly weapons and first-aid), following after his father into the hallways of the School. 

Along the way to the dormitories, Scott made sure to point out certain places to the stranger, often turning to look behind him when Nathan did not utter a sound that confirmed his understanding. The only thing that was flowing through Nathan's head was images of the School as it was in the future; a desolate and abandoned wreckage that had only shown evidence of it being a single-story structure. _He could still see the blackened skeletons lying in the rubble..._

"-you alright?"

Nathan's head snapped toward the sound of the voice. Scott was staring at him through his optic visor, head tilted in concern. Cable nodded once to satiate the other's worries, looking forward after Scott had turned to resume the tour. 

"So, what's the future like?"

Cable took a sharp intake of breath, shutting his eyes tight to shut out the visions swimming in his head. "Horrible," he replied. "It's an apocalyptic mess; people kill others for water and other essentials that you have at your easy disposal. Pollution runs rampant; there is no wildlife in existence. If you aren't fortunate enough to live in a city, you have to survive in the wastelands; long expanses of desert that used to be oceans."

Scott turned around again, and although Nathan couldn't see his eyes, he knew that the other mutant was skeptical of his statement. "Don't believe me?" he snapped, irritated by the blank look he was receiving. 

"Yeah," Cyclops responded, stopping suddenly in an empty and abandoned corridor. "I'm supposed to believe that you came from the future? And that you came back to kill a kid? Sorry to say that I'm a little skeptical."

Nathan shrugged nonchalantly. "Believe what you want to believe. All I want is to get to my room and sleep. Think you could make that happen for me?" He checked Scott with his shoulder as he stalked past him, an angry cloud resting over his head. He wasn't sure what Scott had said rubbed him the wrong way, but he suspected that the thought that his own father didn't trust him was a little upsetting.

Scott took the lead again in silence, and eventually, the two came to a stop in front of a certain door. Scott pressed the key in Nathan's palm, gripping his hand tightly and forcing Nathan to look up at him. "I don't know what it is that you're doing here, but if you threaten anyone in this building, I'll be forced to react, and you won't like it. Understand?"

Nathan wrestled his hand away, gripping the key tightly. "Crystal," he said in a low voice. He watched as his father walked away, disappearing as he took a turn to the right. After making sure that Scott had left his view completely, Nathan turned to the door leading into his room, inserting the key as he walked inside, shutting and locking the door securely behind him.

* * *

The room itself was simple in layout; a single bed near a sliding door where the dim light of the sunset was trickling in. Opposite the bed was a dresser with a television on top of it. To the side of the dresser was a door leading into the bathroom, and closer to the entrance, a closet. Nathan threw his duffel into the closet, making a note to properly unpack his stuff in the morning. He knew that he needed more practical items now that he would be staying here indefinitely, and he sighed, dragging a hand down his face in exhaustion.

After cleaning himself up, Nathan dragged himself to the bed, reclining on it as he started to close his eyes, ready to drift off to sleep.

As a trained soldier in the future, Nathan had been taught to always remain on high alert when in foreign territory, and he cursed this teaching when he found that he was unable to doze off. He turned on his side, facing the glass sliding door with the curtains drawn shut. By now, the sun had disappeared entirely, which he uncovered after getting up to draw open the curtains, looking out into the backyard of the complex. Nathan breathed in deeply to relieve his body of the stress that had lingered since he stepped foot in the School, opening the door and stepping out onto the balcony.

Outside, the cold air of the night hit his face like someone had poured a bucket of icy water over his head. He welcomed the chill, breathing in the air, and watching his breath materialize as he exhaled. He gripped the railing of the balcony with both hands, staring up at the night sky. In the future, the sky had been red. Red from the clouds of extreme pollution that made it impossible to see into space. The air here was cleaner, and he continued to stare up at the night sky, drinking in the sight. 

The sky was not black, but more of a dark, navy blue. White lights were speckled across this dark canvas, sparkling brightly in the night sky. _Stars. Mother Askani said that they were stars._

Thinking of the Askani only brought him back to the memories he had of his life in the future, filling him with a pang of sadness and regret. Had he done the right thing, saving Wade's life and rendering himself unable to return to his family? He was an alien in a foreign and strange land, and this only added loneliness to the emotions he was feeling.

Nathan turned away, leaving the balcony and returning to his room, shutting the glass door behind him. He removed his shirt, throwing it on the dresser as he lay down on the bed again, intending to try and sleep once more.

As he was starting to feel drowsy, Nathan picked up on the sounds of hushed whispers outside his door. Sitting upright once again, he frowned and tensed up, retrieving the handgun in his bedside drawer. With his weapon secured, Nathan slowly and quietly rose from the bed, making his way across the room to the door where he could hear the quiet conversation. He held the gun in his dominant hand, gripping the door handle tightly with the other hand. He turned the doorknob slowly, throwing the door open with a resounding bang, leveling the gun at the possible attackers.

Three kids froze in shock as they all looked at Nathan and then at the gun that was being leveled at them. 

_Shit._

Nathan holstered the gun with a heavy sigh, regretting his decision to get up. "What are you doing?" he asked gruffly. "I could hear you talking outside; it sends the wrong message to guys like me."

The only boy in the triad spoke up, placing his hands securely on the shoulders of one of the girls. "We heard about a new guy that Deadpool and Colossus brought in. We just got curious and wanted to find out more."

"We didn't mean any harm," the other girl to the side with a white streak in her hair quickly interjected. 

Nathan sighed again, the stress leaving his body. They were only _kids..._ "Well, here I am. Is your curiosity satiated?"

The shorter girl that the boy had his hands on nodded rapidly. "We're sorry for disturbing you. My name is Kitty. Kitty Pryde, or Shadowcat. This is Bobby Drake aka Iceman," she said, pointing out the boy, "and Anna Marie, but she prefers to be called Marie. Her alias is Rogue."

Nathan nodded tiredly. "I'm Cable."

The boy, Bobby, opened his eyes wide. "You're an X-Man?"

"No," Nathan quickly cut in before they got the wrong idea. "I'm just a mutant staying here until I can leave. I won't be staying around for long."

"Oh," Marie murmured dejectedly. Nathan gave them a confused look that Kitty picked up and clarified, "It's just that we don't get too many adult visitors. Or kids for that matter. There used to be more, before..." she drifted off, looking down at the ground awkwardly.

Nathan tilted his head, waiting for her to continue. "Before what?"

Bobby sighed, scratching the back of his head. "It's just that recently, kids have been disappearing from the school. It used to be just one or two at a time, but now five to seven kids are disappearing every night. Parents are afraid to send their kids here, and we've kind of been getting lonely."

Nathan leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms as he listened in with piqued interest. "You think that there's someone out there doing this?"

Marie pursed her lips. "Mutants are always being persecuted against. And the X-Mansion is a hotspot for mutant traffickers. I think that children are being abducted by these thugs."

"Why doesn't Xavier do anything?" Nathan asked, pressing for more information. Bobby sighed heavily, a frown forming on his face. "He can't pick up their locations with Cerebro," he replied sullenly. "He thinks that there's some sort of psionic barrier that's preventing him from finding the others."

Nathan frowned, deep in thought. Xavier and the others had not informed him of this. Surely this counted as something important to bring up to a future resident? _Or maybe it's because they don't fully trust me._

"Go back to your rooms," Nathan finally said to the kids, who looked up to him in surprise. "If you wanna help, you can do it by being safe. The X-Men don't need the additional stress of more students getting kidnapped."

"That's the thing, though," Kitty said with a jolt of emotion. "Jubilee wouldn't have gone without a fight, and there was no sign of a struggle in her room. It was like she left on her own accord. We might be next; how do you expect us to sleep?"

Nathan threw his arms in the air, feeling extremely frustrated. "Well, what the hell do you want me to do?"

"We heard that you took down the Juggernaut," Bobby piped up. "If you took us to find the others-"

Nathan was quick to cut him off. "No. First of all, I was not alone in taking down the Juggernaut, and besides, that was Colossus who did the heavy lifting. Second, I am not taking kids out on a suicide run with nowhere to go."

Rogue turned away. "I told you," she muttered to her friends. "Let's just go."

Something in her voice rubbed Nathan the wrong way, and he was quick to understand why. "You're going to go anyway," he said slowly, "whether I go with you or not."

Bobby shrugged. "It would be nice to have an adult with us, but we can't just sit here like waiting ducks and do nothing."

Nathan groaned. "You know, I could just tell Xavier and the X-Men about what you are planning to do."

Kitty smirked. "They're in Genosha, talking to Magneto. Apparently, he's had some disappearing mutants as well. They're calling a truce."

Nathan sighed, looking at the three kids' expressions. They were determined, yes, but also afraid. And he knew that he could not in his good conscience let them go alone...

"Stay here," he said reluctantly. "Let me pack, and I'll see you at the entrance."

The three scampered off excitedly, leaving Nathan to wonder what the hell he had agreed to. _Goddamn it._ He stormed inside his room, pulling his shirt back on and took his duffel, swinging it around his shoulder as he walked through the halls to catch up with the kids.

Along the way, he passed by Wade's room, and he paused in sudden thought. _If the X-Men come back and see that three kids are gone as well as myself, they'll be quick to point fingers at me._

He knocked firmly on Wade's door, and the gesture was quickly answered when Deadpool swung it open, grinning openly at the sight. "Cablebear! What can I do for you on this beautiful night? Midnight stroll? Romantic candlelit dinner?"

Nathan struggled to keep his cool. "No - Wade, listen. I'm going with these kids to look for their friends. I need you here to hold down the fort and tell Xavier and the others when they get back that I did NOT kidnap them. Can you do that for me?"

Wade nodded rapidly. "No kidnapping. Got it."

Nathan nodded once, looking at Wade a little longer than he should have with narrowed eyes. _I can only hope that he is able to relay the message..._

He turned away, leaving Wade as he closed the door, making his way outside where the kids were waiting for him. "Whose car should we take?" Rogue asked, scanning the parking area.

Nathan shrugged, mind set. "Who's the least likely to get pissed off?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan and the kids run into some trouble on the road and pick up a hitchhiker.
> 
> Meanwhile, Wade spends some time trying to remember what it was that Cable wanted him to tell the X-Men... something about kidnapping kids?

They had ended up taking Beast's Jeep since Nathan felt that he had put Colossus through so much in the past few days. He had released the Juggernaut in his drive to kill Russell, and there was also Deadpool's constant harassment of the X-Man.

To be honest, he kind of felt bad for the guy. 

They drove in silence, with Marie sitting in the passenger seat and Bobby and Kitty in the back, resting their heads on each other in a cute couply gesture. They had drifted off to sleep a while ago, but Rogue was still awake, staring ahead at the empty road.

Her eyes were wide, hands clenched on her lap as she continued to stare forward. Nathan frowned as he turned to face her for a quick second before looking back out toward the road. "First time, running free like this?"

Marie jolted in surprise when Nathan spoke up, breaking the tense silence. "Um, not really," she replied hesitantly. "It's just been a while since I was out here with this much freedom."

He nodded in understanding. "So, you're mutants, too. What can you do?"

She bit her lower lip. "When I make physical contact with someone, skin-on-skin contact, I absorb their powers and strengths. I almost killed a guy I liked when they manifested."

Nathan winced. "Shit... That must have given you quite the shock."

Marie nodded, resting her head on the headrest. "I ran away from home when my parents found out. Wolverine, Logan, he found me and we were found by the X-Men. I met Bobby and Kitty there." She smiled gently as she reminisced on these old memories.

Nathan looked up at the rearview mirror to see the aforementioned mutants. "What do they do?"

"Bobby can manipulate ice. Kitty can phase through physical objects," Rogue said shortly, wrapping her arms around her chest as she shivered. "Where are we going?"

Taking notice of the temperature, Nathan moved to activate the car's heating system. "All mutant trafficking circles back to New Orleans. Not only is it a crime hotspot where the officials turn their heads the other way, but it's also placed at a prime location where you can send mutants overseas. International business," he spat out the last bit. "It's disgusting."

Rogue studied him. "You've dealt with this kind of stuff before?"

Nathan scoffed. "I've killed bastards like these too many times to count." He paused, thinking back to their earlier conversation. "You said that the Professor went talking to Magneto? He's a friendly now?"

Marie shrugged. "I don't know. We're not really kept in the loop, but I heard from Kurt that there's an uneasy truce between the X-Men and Brotherhood of Mutants that went back a couple of months. Why? Do you think that Magneto's behind this?"

Nathan exhaled loudly. "I don't know. I'm just trying to keep an open mind."

Silence engulfed the vehicle once more, and Nathan could feel the dark and uneasy cloud settling over Marie's mind. Feeling sympathetic for the girl, he spoke again, "You should sleep, too. You're no use to your friends if you're exhausted and unable to function."

Marie nodded slowly, eyes drooping already. "Yeah... wake me up if something happens." 

Long after she had fallen asleep, Nathan was left with his tormented mind. _Am I doing the right thing? Am I in over my own head? What would Aliya say? What would she do?_

_I hope Wade follows through on his end of the job..._

* * *

"He WHAT?!"

Scott stormed past Jean to reach Wade, who had just casually dropped the metaphorical bomb of the century. He violently seized Wade's shirt, shaking him once. "Are you sure, Wilson? I'm not playing games, here."

Wade nodded rapidly. "Yeah! Cable said he was kidnapping the kids! At least, I think he said that." He drifted off in thought, a frown on his face before he shrugged. "Eh. Pretty sure it was something like that."

Scott dropped Deadpool, turning to face the others. "I told you we couldn't trust him," he growled angrily.

Erik Lehnsherr, Magneto, crossed his arms beside Xavier. "Then we must make haste. Charles, can you locate them with Cerebro?"

The Professor nodded slowly. "Yes, I can. Although, I do think there is something more to this. Cable did not project any malicious thoughts when we first met him."

Raven, who had been with Charles and the X-Men when they went to visit Erik, placed a hand on Charles' shoulder. "We can't trust everyone."

Logan, who had been pacing the room frantically, snarled angrily. "When I find the bastard, I'm gonna tear out his fucking throat."

Meanwhile, Wade, who was watching the entire scene couldn't help but feel that he had said something very _very_ wrong.

* * *

"Where are we?"

"Alabama, I think," Nathan responded. "We're almost there."

Kitty shifted in her seat. "What happens when we get there? New Orleans is a pretty big place. How are we going to find them?"

Nathan smirked. "I know a guy," he said. "He doesn't know about me; not yet, at least. But he will."

Right after he had spoken, a man had materialized in the middle of the road. Marie screamed and pointed, and Nathan jerked the wheel to avoid the head-on collision, making the vehicle crash in a nearby tree.

Thankfully, no one had been seriously jostled by the impact. Nathan nevertheless frantically asked to ensure that no one was seriously hurt before getting out of the wreckage to confront the guy.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry," said guy responded, and upon closer inspection, Nathan realized that it was another kid. The kid didn't have any bags or belongings on him but was simply dressed in silver apparel and goofy aviator goggles. His hair was shockingly silver, matching his clothing.

"What the hell were you doing in the middle of the fucking street?" Nathan growled. The kid nervously raised his hands. "Hey, take it easy. I miscalculated my stopping distance. I'm a really fast runner; my name's Peter Maximoff."

Nathan paused. "You're Quicksilver? Magneto's kid?"

Peter tilted his head in confusion. "Quicksilver? I like the name, but it's not mine."

"Not yet," Nathan said, remembering the kid in the future. He was much older and more serious, but there was no mistake; this was indeed the same mutant in the future.

Peter quirked an eyebrow. "What, you're from the future?"

"Yeah," Nathan said shortly, ignoring Peter's incredulous expression as the other kids emerged from the damaged car. "Look, we're all mutants, too. We're with the X-Men, and I'm looking for their friends who have been taken in a mutant trafficking ring of sorts. We need to get to New Orleans. Do you want to come with?"

Bobby caught up to them. "What, you know him?"

Nathan waved him off. "Yeah, in the future. Look," he said, turning his attention back to Peter, "If you help us, we can get you to the School; something tells me that you're on the run with nowhere to go or stay."

Peter looked between Nathan and the three kids behind him before looking back to Nathan. "Sure, I'll help. So, New Orleans, huh? We'll need a car to get there, though," he said, wincing after looking at the remains of what had been Beast's car.

Nathan shut his eyes tightly and sighed.

* * *

In the end, they had ended up walking a certain distance until they reached a small shopping mall. Nathan had picked the most suitable and easily accessible car, an SUV, and was able to hotwire the vehicle easily before the mutants drove away and toward their destination.

"So... you think that your friends were kidnapped by a mutant trafficking ring?" Peter spoke through a full mouth. The owner of this car had conveniently bought Chinese takeout and put it in the back where the kids were sitting and helping themselves.

"Yeah," Kitty responded, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "We're going to meet a guy that Cable knows in the future. He thinks that this guy will be able to identify where our friends went and who captured them."

"Another thing," Nathan interjected, "When we get there, you four are staying in here." At their resounding complaints, he raised his voice so that he'd be heard over them. "The area we're going into is extremely dangerous, especially for mutants. I can't be out there watching my back _and_ yours. You are going to stay in here while I get the information we need. Got it?"

Disappointed mutters of reluctant assent were received, and Nathan settled back in his seat, satisfied with their answers.

Another couple of hours landed the group in the city, still alive and moving in the night. The kids stared out their windows in awe as they took in the sights, marveling at the city's beauty while Nathan navigated his way through the crowded streets toward his intended destination. Gradually, the extravagant city scenery transformed into the other half of the landscape; bleak and desolate areas where people stood in dark corners and met others in shifty and suspicious interactions. Nathan's grip on the wheel tightened nervously, continuing to look ahead as he passed through the streets.

Eventually, he came to a stop in front of a dilapidated yet recognizable casino labeled, "Corbeau Casino," in bright and flashy neon letters. Nathan parked the car a little bit away from the entrance, turning around to face the kids. "Remember: don't get out of this car. If something happens..." he drifted off, realizing that he didn't have any way to contact them. Rogue wordlessly handed over her own phone to him, which he took quickly. "Thanks," he grunted, grabbing his bag and walking out toward the entrance.

Nathan strolled in confidently, ignoring the looks he was getting as he walked through the crowd to the back of the casino, walking into the employee's room and going up to the office in the back. Throwing the door open, he strode over to the man sitting at a desk. "I need to see the man upstairs; Remy LeBeau," he stated punctually.

The man behind the desk stammered, taken aback by his sudden appearance. "Um... he's not available right now. Can I get a name?"

Nathan seized the man by the coattails of his suit, growling in his face. "He'll make time for _me._ Get me up there, now."

The guy was quick to follow Nathan's orders, nodding rapidly and grabbing a set of keys with trembling hands as he turned around to face the wall behind him, pressing a button on the wall. The elevator that was concealed from the naked eye opened, and the man stepped inside with Nathan right on his heels. The receptionist pushed a button going to the top floor, and the two went up in silence.

When the doors opened, Nathan stepped through, pushing the man back into the elevator to prevent him from leaving. "No. You go back, and if you trigger some kind of alarm, I'll blow up your brains from up here with my mind. Got it?"

The man started to shake even harder, nodding frantically. "Yes! I understand. You don't have to worry about me! He's just in the office ahead," he said, choking around his words as he pointed down the hallway to the set of double doors at the end. Nathan snorted at the elegant and sleek design of the place, shaking his head. "Piss off," he said, stepping out.

He walked toward the office as the traumatized receptionist fled in the opposite direction, shoving the doors open and walking inside. Inside, LeBeau was staring out the window deep in thought but had turned at Nathan's sudden appearance. "What the hell do you want?" the mutant growled, moving toward Nathan with malicious intent.

Nathan held him back with a telekinetic push that didn't take the strain off of keeping the TO in check. LeBeau looked up at Nathan in shock, and he took this opportunity to start talking before things got ugly. "Look, I'm not here because you owe me money or because I want to kill you. I'm here with some kids who are like me; mutants. Their friends have gone missing, and we suspect it was a mutant trafficking ring. I thought you'd be able to recognize some of the kids and point me in the right direction."

Gambit hesitated, studying Nathan with a suspicious look through narrowed slits. "Fine. You've got any pictures for me?" 

Nathan unlocked Rogue's phone, flipping through images taken of other students at the school. LeBeau frowned in dawning recognition as Nathan continued to flip through the photo gallery. "These are those X-kids," he said, shaking his head. "I can't get involved in this."

"I'm not giving you a choice," Nathan growled. "Who's the abductor? Where is he?"

Gambit's eyes lit up a deep luminescent violet as Nathan aggravated him. "I'm not telling you shit," he spat angrily.

Nathan was about to pull out a pistol stashed in the back of his pants when he heard footsteps behind him. Both he and LeBeau whipped around to see the four kids run into the room, huddling around Kitty. 

"Goddamn it!" Nathan shouted, glaring at them. "I told you to stay in the car!"

Rogue looked between Nathan and Gambit, studying the tension in the room. "I take it your questioning isn't going so well?" she asked innocently.

Nathan growled in annoyance, gesturing between her and a confused LeBeau. "You try, then. If I try talking to the asshole again, I'm gonna put a bullet between his eyes."

"I told you already, I'm not telling you anythin' about those kids," Remy hissed, eyes darting frantically between Marie and Nathan. "They'll send guys after me and they'll fucking kill me."

Nathan was about to say something along the lines of, "and what makes you think _I_ won't," but Marie beat him to it. "So come with us," she pleaded, "When we tell Xavier what you did for us, we can protect you!"

"Please," Kitty added her voice to the conversation, "We just want our friends back."

Gambit hesitated, his gaze lingering on Rogue's face for a few seconds before he sighed. "Fine. I'll help ya, but I'm comin' with. He went to the computer on his desk, pulling open a file. Nathan's eyes widened slightly, turning to look at the kids. Rogue flashed him a charming smile, and he shook his head, fighting back a small smile.

"Here," LeBeau spoke up, turning the face of the computer so that the others could see the screen. It was a map of what appeared to be a small island in the middle of nowhere that supported a facility. "Your kids weren't taken through the trafficking cycle. Not entirely, at least. They were put through the beginnin' stages to make it look that way, but this guy," he said, pointing to an image in the top left corner, "William Stryker. He took these kids - handpicked them - and brought them here. I think they're doing illegal experiments on them."

Nathan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fuck. We're going to need air transport to get there. Shouldn't we contact the X-Men and let them take care of this?"

Bobby shook his head. "It'll take too much time telling them everything. We need to get there and help them as fast as possible; who knows what's happening to them if Stryker's involved?"

Remy coughed. "So, I think this is a good time to mention that I've got a 'copter on the roof?"

Nathan settled for shooting LeBeau the dirtiest look he could muster.

* * *

"They were definitely here," Logan stated loudly so that everyone could hear him.

The X-Men along with Magneto and Mystique were at the scene of Beast's wrecked car, surveying the damage. Logan gave another experimental sniff, scrunching his nose in confusion. "Someone else was here, too. They picked up another kid, and went that way," he said, gesturing in a certain direction.

Scott clenched his fists in anger. "He picked up another kid? We need to hurry after them before it's too late!"

Logan took a step back. "I don't know, Slim. How the hell did this Cable guy carry all three, maybe four, of them all the way to a distance greater than a mile that way?"

"You think that they went with him willingly?" Ororo asked, a contemplative frown settling on her face.

"It isn't a bad idea," Raven piped up from beside her friends. "These kids are probably devastated that their friends went missing. With you guys out of the picture picking me up and meeting with Erik, they would have taken action, probably blackmailed this Cable into helping them, and went on their way."

Erik chuckled as Scott took in this information, looking at the chaos. "How brave and noble of them. Remember when we were like this, Charles?"

Xavier sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. "Unfortunately, yes."

* * *

They landed on the shore of the island, away from any viewing angles from the facility.

LeBeau stretched lazily, still sitting on the helicopter. "So, I'll just stay here then."

Nathan looked between the huge looming structure of the facility, then toward the kids, and then walked back to the aircraft with Peter in tow. He spoke in a hushed voice to Peter and Remy: "If things get hairy, I want you to use your speed to get them out of here," he said, pointing to the three other kids whilst looking down at Peter before turning his attention to Gambit. "If they get here, you leave. Understand? Even if I'm not here."

Gambit smirked. "Ya don't have to tell me twice, old man." He sighed contently, leaning into the seat comfortably and crossing his arms over the back of his head.

Nathan and Peter caught up with the others, with Nathan pushing ahead. "You all stay behind me," he ordered firmly. "Always watch your back, and stay on high alert. You grab my attention if something happens, okay?"

After getting their nods of consent, Nathan turned and led the walk up the shore cliffs to the building. The trek was not long, but the stones were slick from the rainfall that the island was currently receiving, and he had to pause often to make sure that the kids were okay.

"I prefer running on flat and safer surfaces, thank you very much," Peter huffed, eliciting chuckles from the others. Nathan ignored them, concentrating on the climb.

At last, when the sky started to split with lightning and thus rumble with thunder, the mutants had finished the climb and stood on flat ground, looking ahead toward the complex. Nathan set his jaw grimly, unshouldering his rifle. "Remember what I said," he shouted through the weather, walking forward.

They maneuvered themselves around the building and toward the back where there was an open hangar. Nathan reached into his bags, taking his time to set charges on the various aircraft. Once he had run out of charges, he set trackers on the others, making sure that if anyone managed to escape, they wouldn't get very far. With this task done, he led the kids to the door leading into the complex, kicking it down and leveling his gun.

He fired at the two unsuspecting guards stationed at that entrance, moving past them before their bodies hit the floor. He intercepted another soldier around a corner, grabbing a knife from his belt and driving it into the man's neck. The soldier gurgled as the blood left his neck before he collapsed, dead. Kitty looked down at the man's open eyes, swallowing silently as she looked away, keeping close to Nathan.

The soldier from the future pressed onward, taking out the soldiers with practiced ease before he found himself before a heavily-guarded door with panicking soldiers. He fired his way through them, staining the ground dark red and leaving one cowering man alive.

Nathan gripped him with his metal arm, lifting him up to his feet. "Open this door. Now." The man did as was instructed, opening the door before he reacted suddenly. He whipped around, drawing a pistol quickly from his holster and managed to shoot Nathan in the gut. With Nathan reeling from the pain, the man took his chance to escape, running in the opposite direction before he stopped in his tracks, encased in a thick layer of ice.

Bobby panted, eyes wide in shock as he took in what he just did. Nathan groaned, pulling his hand away from his gut to reveal his own blood. _Of course, with my piss-poor luck, the bullet hit the flesh side of my gut._ "Cable? Are you alright?" Kitty asked softly.

Suddenly, the white lights shifted to a bright red, and the whining sound of an alarm sounded out. Nathan gritted his teeth. "We have to hurry," he ground out through the pain. "The kids should be inside; I could pick up their thoughts when I entered the building. Help them out, hurry!"

As the kids moved to do as Nathan instructed, the cybernetic mutant leaned against the doorframe, clutching at his wound in agony. Already his vision was starting to blur, and he knew that he was losing too much blood too fast. He blinked wearily, and the Rogue appeared in front of him, looking at him worriedly. "Nathan, we've got them. All of them, including some other kids. How are you holding up?"

Nathan looked past her, seeing an additional twenty to thirty kids with anxious faces, and waved her off, trying to alleviate her concerns. "I'm fine," he answered gruffly. "Let's go." He pushed himself off the wall, stumbling forward to lead them out of the complex. 

**Activation code confirmed. Launching self-destruction sequence in 20 seconds.**

Nathan cursed aloud, looking back to the kids and up to the ceiling. It had taken them minutes to get where they were, and with the wound, Nathan knew that they wouldn't be able to leave. Thinking quickly, he turned to Peter. "You, how many kids can you get out in ten seconds?"

"Uh... maybe twenty?" Peter said.

Nathan separated the kids, putting ten aside. "Get them out," he said, indicating the youngest ones that he put aside. Peter disappeared from view, along with some of the kids. As the ten kids were disappearing, Nathan pulled the remaining kids along with Bobby, Marie, and Kitty as close to him as possible.

**Launching self-destruction sequence in 5 seconds.**

"Get down as low as you can," Nathan urged, letting his telekinesis loose and forming a protective barrier around himself and the children.

The explosions around them muffled the screams, and Nathan shut his eyes tight in concentration before everything went dark.

* * *

Peter gasped audibly as he viewed the complex collapse before settling down into rubble.

What had once been a huge and impressive building was now a pile of concrete and metal, scattered fires lit throughout the wreckage. His newfound friends were probably lying dead underneath there...

He heard the sound of a plane, forcing him to turn around and look up to the sky. The Blackbird in all its glory was starting to set down, and out of the back emerged Xavier and Erik. They approached a stunned Peter and the other children, with Remy running up to meet them. 

"What the hell happened?" Gambit asked roughly. "I heard explosions-"

"Hello, Peter," Xavier said gently. "What happened?"

Peter took in a shaky breath. "I met your students and Cable on the road. They picked me up, and then we went to him," he said, pointing to Remy, "who told us who was taking the kids. So, we came here and Cable led us - Bobby, Kitty, and Marie - into the complex and we found the kids and freed them, but Cable got shot, and there was this self-destruct sequence that was activated, and Cable told me to get as many of the younger ones out as possible-" he broke off into sobs. "They were still in there," he hiccupped. "I was too slow."

Xavier placed a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder. "You did good, Peter Maximoff. You saved as many kids as you could." He turned his head to the burning rubble, frowning in concentration before his eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Erik, we have to hurry. They're still alive."

Erik raised a brow in disbelief. "You think that Cable could have kept up a psionic barrier for so long in his wounded state? And with his... condition?" he said, lowering his voice so that no one else could hear.

Xavier nodded once. "Yes. Could you lift up the metal over there?" he asked, pointing out a specific area.

Erik lifted his hands, raising them slowly as the scraps slowly levitated. Jean gasped, seeing them first as she flew over, leading Storm to there the blue protective bubble was located. When they landed, Marie looked up through teary eyes. The kids were fine, some passed out from stress under the situation, but Cable was lying on the ground, wheezing as he struggled to stay conscious. Metal started to creep slowly up his neck, and Ororo frowned in concern. "Cable, you can let the barrier go now. Magneto lifted the rubble up; we have the kids. They're safe."

Nathan coughed, spitting blood out of his mouth as his vision darkened and he slipped into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan recovers in the X-Mansion and catches up with the X-Men.

_"Watch your six, soldier!"_

_"We're getting overrun, here! We need reinforcements, now!"_

_"Shit, this operation is fucked! Fall back!"_

_Nathan stared at the battlefield that spanned for miles before him, standing still in shock and confusion. Hadn't he been rescuing children a minute ago? But this seemed so real... His eyes snapped to the right when he heard the pained cries of a fallen comrade-in-arms. Moving on instinct, Nathan rushed to the fallen man's side, sliding to his knees as he lay suppressing fire at the enemy - mechanized organisms that had at one point been alive; possibly a next-door neighbor or close friend at some point. But this techno-organic virus that had originated in him had been taken and adapted by power-hungry people, idiots who thought that they could control it and weaponize the virus. But now, they were at war with it; it only consumed and ravished everything alive in its path toward what remained of civilization._

_His bullets hit their marks with deadly preciseness; Nathan could not afford to miss this close to the enemy. When he had cleared enough room, he turned his attention to the injured soldier gasping below him. Nathan lifted the man with one hand, throwing the man's uninjured shoulder over his own, and he half-carried, half-dragged the man back to the rest of his retreating battalion, turning around to fire at a TO victim that got too close. To his near left, an artillery shell dropped, sending him sprawling to the right and wrenching the man out of his grasp._

_Nathan groaned, blinking rapidly to expel the ashes that had risen off of the ground from the blast. His vision was blurry, and there was a persistent ringing in his left ear where the shell had detonated. He turned to the right, scanning the ground to see where the injured soldier had been thrown away, closer to the battleline._

_When he found the man, meters away from where Nathan struggled to get on his knees, they both made eye contact for one split second; and while that may not have been very long, it was all the time that both men needed to feel each other's pain and anxiety in the situation. Nathan drunk in the fear and pain that resonated in the depths of the man's dark eyes, the army helmet covering the majority of his face. Nathan's helmet had been displaced a long time ago, but he took no notice of this as he struggled to get up, ready to leap at the man and carry him back to the battalion, back to the base, back to safety._

_Back to this man's home, or the place that he called home. Did he live in the same city that Nathan lived in with his family? Did this man have an "Aliya" of his own, or a "Hope"? Did he have people waiting for him to come home, people who depended on him, and loved him? He didn't even know this man's name!_

_But then again, Nathan did know already, didn't he? Nathan had given this man his name when they first met and received his in return: Alex. He remembered being invited to dinner by Alex and meeting his wife, Rachel, and their children. Their son, Patrick, would have been ten by now; and the daughter, Alice, would have been the same age as Hope was, seven. They went to school together and were in the same class. They had been brothers-in-arms ever since Nathan first joined the army as a teenager; fighting alongside together in a battle much like this. Only, they had both escaped with their lives and laughed to tell the tale._

_This time, only one of them left alive._

_"No!" Nathan shouted, voice hoarse from the dry air. He raised his hand, still fallen on his knees as he watched helplessly at the scene before him. Alex's cries of terror and pain sounded out as the machines leaped upon him; tearing at his eyes, his throat; until it was eerily quiet. That kind of silence that eats away at your gut, the kind that you feel walking down a dark alley in the city at night and makes you want to turn around and check that nothing is chasing you._

_Nathan stared in disbelief at the mangled corpse of his best friend, feeling arms pulling him backward. "No," he muttered slowly, shaking himself from his dazed state. "No, no! Alex!" Nathan cried out. Oh god, what was he going to tell Rachel?_

_One week later, one week of telling Alex's family about his fate and staying with them to offer his comfort; Nathan found himself back in the barracks, eyes hardened, and resolve firm. He shouldered his gun, leaving to join the others in their daily exercises._

_He kept a picture of Alex where he kept the other pictures of former friends fallen in battle. A shrine dedicated to the fallen._

_When would his time come?_

* * *

Nathan gasped, jolting upright in a sitting position as if someone had electrified him. To his right, he could hear the beeping sounds of a heartrate monitor, and he blinked the lingering thoughts of the nightmare away.

When he opened his eyes again and calmed himself down, Nathan found himself in what appeared to be a sterilized hospital room, with medical equipment hooked up to him to read his vitals. Someone had taken off his clothes (which were nowhere to be seen, much to his annoyance) and covered him with a medical gown. Groaning as he swung his legs off the side of the stretcher, Nathan roughly pulled off the pads attached to his arms, pausing when he felt a strong and sharp pain coming from his stomach. The memories of what had transpired before he passed out hit him like a sledgehammer, and he panicked, jumping off the stretcher.

Instead of standing on his feet, his knees crumbled like jelly, and he fell to the ground. Ignoring the handicap, Nathan pushed himself to his knees, and then onto his feet again, leaning on the bed as he stood up again, regaining his stability. Eyeing the door with determination, Nathan shuffled toward the exit, shoving it open and looking outside.

He was in an unfamiliar area, the hallways in the are were unlike the wooden walls that adorned the friendly environment of Xavier's School. This place had walls reinforced with cold steel and a pale floor, reminding Nathan of the facility that he had taken the kids out of. _Did I escape or was I left behind?_

Nathan hissed, clutching at his stomach as he pulled back the gown to view his injury. The white gauze that was secured over his bullet wound was now sporting a red splotch in the middle that was slowly growing bigger and bigger. If the circumstances were better, Nathan would have taken the time to secure himself and make sure he didn't bleed out, but he was in unfamiliar territory and unsafe. Grinding his teeth together through the pain, Nathan leaned against the wall for support as he continued down the hallway.

He came across a circular door and thinking it was a potential exit, Nathan moved forward to open it. However, when he got close to it, the door opened automatically, startling him. He could hear sounds of fighting coming from within it, and fearing that the kids were at risk, Nathan ran in without a second thought.

When he ran through the door, he blinked. He was standing in a lush forest, ferns growing up and reaching his chest. He squinted, looking ahead and seeing the X-Men themselves: Scott leading the others as they fought two large robots. Nathan's heart stopped when he recognized the machines. _Sentinels._ These machines had also been procured by the same organization that had tried to weaponize his TO virus, and in the future, these machines had been activated by those taken by the TO virus. Nathan had on many occasions fought against these machines.

"Um, Jean, is he supposed to be in here?" A mutant had teleported beside Nathan in a cloud of dark blue smoke, the smoke smelling lightly of sulfur. Nathan coughed, staring at the mutant. He was dark blue with a sword strapped on his back and a thin tail curling behind him. Nathan turned back to the Sentinels and the X-Men; Jean had been swatted out of the air and to the side, rolling through the forestry and hitting a tree. Storm had unleashed a lightning strike on the other one, but it absorbed the contact and then sent an electric current back at her, also taking her out. 

Nathan cursed under his breath; it was obvious that the Sentinels were new to the X-Men, even Magneto was having trouble maneuvering his way through the robots' advanced attacks. With the Sentinels, using your mutant powers was a death wish. Nathan turned back to the teleporting mutant beside him, grabbing his sword when he had turned his back to him. Ignoring the mutant's shouts of protest, Nathan ran forward to join the others in their fight.

"What the hell...?" Logan muttered, pushing himself off the ground from a particularly nasty backhand as he watched Cable run through the battlefield toward the Sentinels. 

Nathan slid under the Sentinel's swipe in his direction, impaling the sword in the robot's knee when it knelt down to try and intercept Nathan's slide. The kneeling action created a gap in the back of the robot's knee where a vital gas line was. Knowing that this would not take out the Sentinel, Nathan jumped on the sword, using it to climb up the Sentinel's back as it tried to shake him off. Nathan wrapped his arms around the robot's neck, turning around to anticipate the other Sentinel's attack. 

The other robot's arm shifted into a narrow blade, and it swiped horizontally at where Nathan was hanging. Before the hit connected, Nathan pulled himself up, standing on the blade as it drove through the first Sentinel's neck, properly deactivating it. He jumped from the second Sentinel's makeshift arm-blade to the robot's shoulder where he got behind the robot. He dangled from the Sentinel in the same manner as the first, using his right arm to wrap around the Sentinel's neck while using his metal hand to punch a hole through the back of the Sentinel's neck. He ripped off the plastic casing of the Sentinel's neck, revealing the power capsule. Nathan reached for the battery, pulling it out with enough force to tear it away from the wiring. 

As soon as the power capsule had been removed, Nathan heard the Sentinel power down, swaying dangerously. He pushed all his weight forward and felt the robot tilt in the same direction, bracing himself for the impact. When the robot fell in the dirt, Nathan jumped off it, rolling across the floor.

Nathan panted from the exertion, kneeling in the dirt as he looked up from where he had fallen at the carnage. Magneto removed his helmet, turning to look at Nathan. Knowing who the mutant was, Nathan grinned ferally, a challenge in his eyes. In return, Magneto raised a brow, an amused and intrigued look on his face before turning away.

Scott stormed over to Nathan, the brush shaking wildly from his disruption. "What the hell was that? How did you know how to stop them?" he demanded, hauling Nathan on his feet none too gently.

"Hey," Jean scolded sharply, "that's my patient. He's still recovering. Be gentle."

"Yes, he's still recovering," the bigger blue-furred mutant spoke up from the back. He stared at Nathan, head tilted curiously. "Take note that he also has increased stamina to compensate for the wound."

Nathan could feel the pain of the earlier bullet wound grow back; the adrenaline had muffled the pain for a little bit, and he had forgotten about it until now. He grimaced, resting a hand over the injury site.

"How did you do that?" Logan asked, his eyes narrowed in intrigue. "We've been running this simulation for days with no progress."

"Simulation?" Nathan croaked, throat dry. "That's what this was?"

"Well, we sure as hell don't keep a forest in the house!" Scott snapped, growing irritated. "How did you know to go for the neck?"

Nathan held up the power capsule, looking at the remains of what once had been operating Sentinels. "Power capsule located in the neck at the back. Also, if the joints are bent - at the elbows or knees - it leaves an opening to fuel lines. If you clip one, it gives them another five minutes before it dies out, if you can survive that long. We've been trained to go for the neck to eliminate the threat and focus on other... things."

Ororo stared at the Sentinels. "We've run into one for the first time a month ago. They're in the future?"

Nathan scoffed. "Thousands of them. You wanted humans and mutants to coexist together? Nothing like a common threat to unite them for a single cause. I've fought on the front lines against these bastards."

The teleporting mutant that Nathan had stolen the sword from had retrieved his weapon from the Sentinel's knee, looking at the others. "But Sentinels only target mutants. Why would they be a threat to humans?"

Nathan tensed, his left metal arm flexing uncomfortably as a burning reminder. "In the future, there's this virus. It's referred to as the techno-organic virus or the TO virus. It attaches to any living organism and turns all organic material into metal. In the future, some company sharks tried to weaponize this virus without understanding the repercussions; it spread unconditionally. When the TO virus fully consumes a person or animal, it takes over the brain and serves only one purpose; to continue to spread."

”You’re carrying it, aren't you?” the bigger blue mutant asked, gesturing toward Nathan’s exposed metal arm. 

Nathan’s right hand lifted to his left shoulder where the metal met the skin. ”Yeah,” he grunted. ”I'm telepathic and telekinetic, and the only reason it isn't spreading is that I'm using my powers to hold it at bay. When I shift my concentration elsewhere, such as conjuring a simple barrier like the one from before, it spreads further.”

Ororo turned to face the same blue-furred mutant that had spoken not too long ago. ”Beast, do you think that you could do something to prevent the spread?”

Beast reached into the pocket of his uniform, retrieving a pair of glasses and placing them on his face. ”If the virus is unable to spread under the influence of telekinetic properties, I could come up with something. It just might take a while.”

”On the more pressing issue,” Jean said with a pronounced voice, ”I’m going to get Cable back to the medical bay and re-bandage his wound.” She lifted Nathan’s arm and draped it over her shoulder, supporting him with a strength that surprised Nathan as she walked him out of the Danger Room, the simulation fading as the room reverted to a blank and empty space. 

Nathan groaned as he was gently placed back on the bed he had been lying on moments ago while Jean went to grab the necessary equipment. When she came back, she gave him a warm and gentle smile. ”You know, we thought that you had kidnapped those kids at first. That’s what Deadpool told us, at least.”

Nathan’s head jerked up to look at her with a stunned look on his face. ”Wait, you said that Wade told you that I kidnapped the kids? I told him that I was going to help them look for their friends, and to tell you that I did _not_ kidnap them!”

Jean winced, a smile nevertheless breaking through. ”I'm honestly not surprised. Wade’s mind is... chaotic, to describe it best. He has trouble focusing on one thing at a time. We've found it effective to tell him something important three or more times, to be accommodating.”

Nathan sighed, shaking his head as Jean prepared the needle and thread. ”Why does everyone dislike Wade? Other than the obvious, of course,” he said, adding the last part hastily as an afterthought.

Jean had a contemplative look on her face as she looked off into the distance as if she herself had thought about this for hours on end. ”I wish I had a definite answer to that question, but I honestly don't know. His morals directly clash against ours. He has a personality that not many people have the patience to deal with. But ultimately, Wade is a very difficult person to understand. And as humans have a fear of mutants, we also either fear or don't trust Wade. Simply for the explanation that we don't understand him. You know,” she said, sneaking a smile toward Nathan from the corner of her mouth. ”They don't trust you for the same reason, too.”

Nathan frowned, hissing as the needle made the first pass through the skin. ”They're afraid of me?” he asked, disbelief laced through his voice.

Jean hummed in agreement. ”You’re a stranger from the future with a strange mindset and view on the world. And despite this, you agreed to help Bobby, Kitty, and Marie on their quest so that they wouldn't get themselves killed and managed to pick up two more strays along the way.” She stopped after the stitching was done, padding the area with fresh gauze. ”That tells me two things: One, that you're good with kids; and two, that you're not the rough and grizzled soldier that you claim to be.”

Nathan thought back to the nightmare that had plagued his mind while he slept and after he had woken up. ”You're wrong,” he said to Jean, who was washing her hands. ”I'm still a war-scarred veteran who is plagued by the memories I have. I just remember that in the end, I'm still a human and so is everyone else.”

Jean smiled, a hint of sadness sparkling in her eyes. ”Yes, of course. Before you go, I just wanted to apologize for Scott’s behavior as of late. He's under a lot of stress with recent events and leading the X-Men. He's normally a very kind man.”

Nathan resisted the urge to agree because then he would have to say something stupid along the lines of, ”Yeah, I know. He's my father!”

Jean tilted her head before she turned around, a pile of new and clean clothes in hand as she offered them to Nathan. ”We got these for you and stocked your wardrobe. Something told me that you'd probably like plain tees. The Professor talked to me just now; he wants to talk to you in his office upstairs. Just take the elevator at the end of the hall, okay?”

Nathan wordlessly took the offered clothing, shocked upon hearing everything that they had done for him. ”Right. I'll go after I change,” he said.

Jean smiled once more before she left, opening her mouth for the final time, ”I know that you said you wouldn't be staying for long, but I think you're a good fit for the School and for the students. Think about it.” She turned and walked out, shutting the door securely behind her.

* * *

Nathan knocked on the mahogany wood door leading into Xavier’s office wearing the clothes that had been given to him. It was nothing too extravagant or expensive, but he really couldn't care less; a plain light grey t-shirt and dark blue jeans that weren't too tight. 

The door opened, revealing a scowling Logan with a cigar in his mouth. ”Get in,” he grunted, puffing smoke as he spoke. Nathan didn't let the smoke bother him -he had smoked every now and then as well - and followed Wolverine into the study where he was greeted by the sight of Xavier sitting in his wheelchair behind the desk.

The Professor looked up, smiling warmly at Nathan. ”Please, sit. Both of you,” he said, gesturing in front of him opposite the desk where there were two empty seats. Nathan took the one on the left, feeling akin to a student sent to the Principal’s office for doing something bad. Logan took the seat on the right, slumping in it comfortably and taking another drag from the cigar. 

Xavier spoke up again. ”Jean quickly informed me of what occurred in the Danger Room and what you told them,” he said, fixating his gaze on Nathan. ”I'll have you know that Thank, you know him as Beast, is working on a more permanent solution to the techno-organic virus. I really want mutants to be comfortable with their powers and access their full potential.”

Nathan nodded slowly, unsure of where this conversation was going. ”Um, thanks.”

”I also wanted to express my gratitude for returning _all_ of my students back home safely,” Xavier continued without missing a beat. ”I know that we are all strangers to you, but you still went out of your way to protect children that you didn't know.”

Nathan was still very confused. ”Um, sure. They were about to do something stupid; someone had to supervise them.”

Xavier nodded, turning once to point out a disinterested Logan who was still nursing his cigar. ”You know, you're not the first time-traveling mutant we’ve had. Logan here had at one point sent his conscience back in time to warn Hank and me about a Sentinel threat. We had thought their programming to be rendered obsolete, but they've come back with a vengeance.”

Logan sighed, looking up for the first time. ”What are you getting at, Chuck?”

”Patience, Logan,” Xavier chided before turning his attention back to Nathan. ”When you first came into my office, something about your mannerisms and behavior reminded me of someone. And then, when you revealed your powers, I knew who you were.” He leaned in closer, eyes sparkling with excitement while Nathan was suffering from a mild panic attack, slinking lower into his seat. All while this was happening, Logan was moving his head to look from one person to the other like he was following the ball in a tennis match.

”I think you knew about this place because it's etched in your bloodline. You are a member of our family; you always have been. You,” Charles stated boldly, ”are the son of Scott Summers and Jean Grey.”

Nathan gritted his teeth. _Well, what did you expect? The cat’s out of the bag, now. No sense in continuing to lie._ ”You're one-for-two one that,” he said calmly.

There was a short pause.

”HoLY sHit!” Logan exploded, standing up suddenly and making his chair tip over.

Xavier held up a hand in a pathetic attempt to placate a pacing Logan. ”Please, Logan. Sit down and listen.”

Nathan continued as Logan threw the chair back on its legs, sitting down and starting at Nathan like he had frown a second head. ”My name is Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, but in the future, I changed it to Nathan Dayspring Askani’son. It's a death wish to share a surname of a famous X-Man,” he explained. ”You only mentioned one of my parents. My father was Cyclops, but my mother technically doesn't exist yet.”

Logan waved his hands. ”Whoa, slow down, bub. You're sayin’ that Cyke didn't marry his sweetheart?”

Nathan pressed onward, ”My mother is Madelyne Prior, a clone of Jean Grey. Jean will be exposed to the Phoenix Force, a cosmic entity of immense power that particularly likes beings with telepathic powers. Jean goes crazy with power, and the Phoenix Force makes her go dark. You, the rest of the X-Men, are forced to kill her. Mr. Sinister, Nathaniel Essex, makes a clone of Jean Grey, Madelyne Prior. However, she doesn't have any powers at all, so he sends her out to the world. She meets Scott, and they fall in love, and I'm born.”

Nathan took a breath. ”But somehow, Jean comes back from the dead, and Scott abandoned Madelyne and me for Jean. We got captured by Sinister, and Apocalypse got involved when my powers manifested. I think that my powers, uninhibited by the TO virus, were no joke. They were the ones who injected me with the TO virus, and to save my life, Scott sent me to the future, hoping that there would be a cure. But by the time I got there, civilization was fucked. And people were afraid of those with metal appendages; I was taken in by the Askani Clan and they taught me to use my powers to keep the virus at bay.”

Charles nodded slowly. ”I understand clearly, now. Thank you for telling me everything, Nathan.”

Logan continued to stare at Nathan like he was a strange animal being exhibited at a zoo, and he tried to ignore the other mutant.

Xavier settled back in his chair. ”Now that you know, Logan, I want you to stay close with Nathan. Help expose him to the others - except for Jean and Scott - and get them to be more friendly with him. There's nothing more I want to be accomplished than for Nathan to be reunited with his family. This is a great example of an opportunity that doesn't happen often.”

Logan blinked once, still starting at Nathan as he walked all the way to the door, closing it firmly behind him.

Charles chuckled fondly, smiling at Nathan. ”You know, I have a feeling that you two will get along better than you will with your father.”

Nathan quirked an eyebrow. ”Is that supposed to make me feel better?” he asked, getting up and heading to the door.

Before he opened the door, Xavier called out, ”Oh, and Nathan? I think Jean mentioned this earlier, but if you want to stay and even teach here, just let me know. It would be a paying job with full accommodations. You are family, after all.”

Nathan didn't turn but paused for a few seconds before he turned the doorknob and walked outside.

* * *

Nathan walked through the door, pausing when he saw Logan leaning against the wall to the right. The other mutant was still staring at Nathan oddly as if he was picking him apart and analyzing him piece by piece. 

”What the fuck are you looking at?” Nathan snapped crossly, folding his arms.

Logan shook his head slowly. ”There's no way in hell that you're Slim’s kid. Mine, maybe. But he's just so boring and uptight, and you're... not.”

Nathan sighed, starting to walk away. ”Well, I wasn't exactly raised by him, so how would I know?” 

Logan winced sympathetically, walking fast to catch up to Nathan. ”Yeah, sounds like you've had a rough life.” He coughed awkwardly before looking at Nathan again. ”And I also can't believe that Scott would marry or be with _anyone_ for that matter without it being Jean.”

Nathan nodded, understanding of Wolverine’s beliefs. ”Although, Jean was dead at the time, and Scott was grieving. Technically, I was a mistake, you know.” He huffed in amusement.

Logan frowned. ”Don’t say that. I already deal with fifteen kids a day who believe the same thing, and they're always wrong. You are not the exception, trust me. I've got a nose for these things.”

”This way,” Logan said, directing Nathan away from his room and towards an unknown area. He led Nathan past the kitchen and dining hall to an office set aside from the other classrooms, knocking on the wood twice.

The door opened, revealing the scrawny blue mutant with the tail that was the only one Nathan did not know. His yellow lamp-like eyes glanced in his direction before settling on Wolverine. ”He’s expecting you two,” he said, beckoning them inside.

Logan huffed. ”Thaks, Kurt.” He walked inside, calling behind him to Nathan following him in, ”That’s Nightcrawler. You already know Beast, and that's Magneto,” he said with a sneer at the last-mentioned mutant.

Nathan cast a wary eye on Magneto, who threw his arms up in exasperation. ”For the last time, Wolverine, I am a friend. Stop painting me out to be otherwise.” He smirked at Nathan who walked toward Beast; ”Pleasure to meet you, Nathan Summers.”

Before Nathan could react, Kurt spoke up from the corner. ”Could you please not say that?” he asked, shivering slightly. ”It’s very weird, meeting Cyclops’ son who just so happens to be slightly taller and older than him.”

Nathan frowned. ”Okay, first of all, I'm 44. There's a lot of stress and pollution in the future; some people’s hair turns pink. Second, are we telling everyone that isn't Jean and Scott? This doesn't exactly scream subtlety, you know.”

Logan shrugged. ”Hey, don't blame the messenger; Charles wanted everyone to know, except for your parents. Well, one of your parents and the genetic map for the creation of your other parent.”

Magneto walked up behind Nathan, settling his hand on his metal shoulder. ”Relax,” he encouraged. ”We won't say anything.”

Nathan shook off his hand angrily. ”Jean is a telepath; how are you going to hide this from her?”

”Oh, no,” Nightcrawler said, waving his hands rapidly. ”Jean doesn't peek in our heads without consent; besides, we know how to hide information.”

Nathan sighed, wringing a hand through his scalp. ”This is fucked,” he muttered under his breath but moved closer to Beast when he motioned Nathan to come closer. ”I'm designing a small device that emits a telekinetic pulse - modeled after Jean Grey's powers - that is solar-powered and doesn't feed off of your powers.” The blueprints displayed a small circular device only a centimeter in diameter. ”We would surgically place this in your neck to protect your brain and send the pulse down your body to block off the rest.” 

"So this is supposed to prevent the TO spread?" Nathan narrowed his eyes at the device, not letting false hope cloud his judgment. 

Beast huffed. "Theoretically. I'm still working out the kinks and other small details," he explained.

Nathan nodded slowly, muttering a small "thanks" and turning away to follow Logan out of the room. "Do you trust Magneto?" he asked once he had caught up with Logan.

Logan scoffed in derision. "I'd be insane to. We've worked with that slippery son-of-a-bitch before; he's betrayed us every time." He seemed to conjure another cigar from thin air, taking a lighter from his pocket and lighting it. "Don't worry; I've got my eyes on him," he said, voice muffled slightly around the cigar.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nathan caught sight of red fabric, and he turned around, letting Logan walk ahead. "I'm going to my room and freshen up," he called out, walking toward the dormitories and leaving Logan to walk ahead unconcerned. Nathan narrowed his eyes as he followed the figure he had seen, turning around a corner and calling out as the person was unlocking their door.

"Hey, dumbass!" Nathan scowled. "What the hell did you tell the X-Men?"

Wade yelped at Nathan's sudden appearance, dropping his key onto the floor. "Hey, Cablebear! What brings you here?"

"You do, asshole," Nathan snapped, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall near Wade's door. "Why did you tell them the exact _opposite_ of what I wanted you to say?!"

"Now, let's calm down," Wade said, raising his arms slowly. "To be honest, my brain is like a radio. Sometimes it tunes in to listen, and other times, it's on a whole other wavelength. My brain was not cooperating that night, and I'm sorry for making the X-Men think that you had kidnapped those kids. Can you not kill me? I'd hate to have to regenerate the lower half of my body, again."

Nathan groaned, Jean's words to him ringing in his head. This day was starting to wear him out, and the prospect of clashing with Wade was far from appealing. _Although, while I am here, I could beat the others to the punch and tell him..._ Nathan pushed himself off the wall, standing close to Wade and settling for giving him a glare. "Whatever. Open the door already, dumbass. I've got to tell you something important, so try and tune in this time."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan explains his history to Wade, and there's an awkward team dinner.

Nathan walked into Deadpool's room as the merc shut the door securely behind him. The room seemed to accurately reflect Wade's personality; there were clothes strewn about on the floor, the bathroom door was propped open with bloodstains on the mirror and in the sink, and the bed was an absolute mess. Nathan turned behind, silently casting judgment toward Wade, who threw his arms in the air. 

"Look, I wasn't expecting any visitors, alright? Fuck off."

Nathan snorted, dragging the chair from the desk in the room that was collecting dust as Wade threw himself face-first onto the mattress of the unmade bed. Nathan pulled the chair to the foot of the bed, raising his legs onto the bed and resting them there. Wade frowned, eyeing Nathan's shoes. "This is _my_ bed, you know."

"And I could bring this conversation back to how disgusting this room is, but I'm not that fucking petty," Nathan said in a dry voice, nevertheless taking his legs off the bed and sitting upright. "I need you to listen to me, Wade. What I'm about to tell you is very important, and I need you to promise me that you won't tell Cyclops and Phoenix about anything I say at this moment. Do you understand?"

Wade snorted. ”You're killing me with the suspense here, man." He nevertheless sat up, attentive to the situation, and head tilted in curiosity.

Nathan sighed, dragging a head down his face as he struggled to put what he wanted to say into words. "My father is Scott Summers," he said slowly, observing Wade as his eyes opened wide in astonishment and surprise.

"Wow, really? No wonder you're so standoffish with the guy," Wade said, seeming to take this revelation in stride. "I mean, my dad hated me, you know? I honestly wouldn't worry about it; from what I've seen, you turned out to be a _great_ father without a proper role model, right?"

"Wade!" Nathan cut him off, "Please, listen to me. I can't have you telling Scott this, because if you do, you might make it so that I won't be born, and then I won't even exist. And you can't tell Jean, either. My mother is a clone of her, and she doesn't even exist yet."

"Wow. This is some weird-ass shit," Wade mumbled, eyes still fixated on Nathan, who continued his explanation, clasping his hands together tightly. "Her name is Madelyne Prior, and she'll be created by Mr. Sinister after Jean dies. Scott will fall in love with her, then abandon her and a newly-born me when Jean comes back from the dead. We'll get abducted by Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse, who will inject me with this techno-organic virus." Nathan gestured to his metal arm. "This TO virus converts flesh to metal, and if left unchecked, it will turn me into a metal machine, essentially killing me."

Wade's Adam's apple pulsated as he stared at the metal arm. "Wow, that almost ruined the whole metal kink I had going on. I mean, Cable, this thing is like cancer," Wade said, the last part of his sentence dying out. Nathan could feel the other man's pain and felt a twinge of sympathy for the merc; he knew of Wade's condition, and he regretted reopening old wounds.

"My powers, which include telepathy and telekinesis, suppress the spread of this TO virus, but I'm unable to use them as a result. Right now, Beast is trying to come up with a device that will project the same force that is keeping the TO at bay. Hopefully, this will free my powers and I'll be able to better defend myself in battle. But until then, this TO virus will continue to eat away at me. Wade, I am telling you this with confidence that you won't go and tell Scott and Jean. It is imperative for you to not tell them; my life is on the line.

Wade took Nathan by surprise with the rare grim look on his face as he nodded once firmly. "I know that I can be pretty lighthearted and joking at times, Cable, but I promise you that I will keep your secret safe," he said resolutely. 

Nathan nodded, getting the impression that Wade was serious, and stood up slowly. "Thank you, Wade." He dragged the chair back to its spot with the dusty desk, moving toward the door with the intent to leave. "Oh, and Wade? One more thing," he said, walking back to Wade who was staring off in space - in deep thought - before jerking his head up to meet Nathan's eyes. "My name is Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, but I'll be using my pseudonym, Nathan Dayspring."

Wade tilted his head, scrutinizing Nathan who shifted uncomfortably. "You don't look like a 'Nathan'; more like a 'Josh', you know?"

Nathan couldn't help the sudden bark of laughter that escaped him, startling Wade more that it did himself. Nathan gestured behind him toward the door, walking backward. "Well, that's all I wanted to tell you, so I'll just leave."

Wade blinked before Nathan's words settled in, and he nodded rapidly. "Uh, yeah! I'll... see you at dinner."

Nathan nodded once, moving to the door with his back turned toward Wade. Before he stepped outside, Nathan turned his head slightly to the left, cybernetic eye flashing as he gave Wade a small smile from the corner of his mouth before he stepped outside.

* * *

Nathan’s feet carried him back to the familiar surroundings of his room. The bed had been made and the curtains were pulled back to let in the late afternoon sunlight, painting intricate shadows on the walls. Nathan removed his shirt, wincing as he felt the strain on the freshly-dressed wound. He threw the shirt on the bed, moving to the dresser and opening the top drawer.

True to Jean’s word, the other mutants had done Nathan’s shopping for him; the top drawer was full of short-sleeved shirts for comfort, and the second drawer revealed long-sleeved tees of the same variety. The third drawer held shorts as well as joggers, whilst the bottom-most drawer supported briefs and socks. Judging the clothes’ outward appearance, Nathan could tell that they would fit him, which came across as slightly disturbing, but ultimately welcome. A quick examination of the closet revealed more formal wear, including several complete suits with ties as well as jeans and professional tees. Nathan stared at the duffel bag on the floor of the closet with his weapons and gear; he guessed that the X-Men were able to recover most of the equipment, though that hardly mattered to Nathan (if needed, he could ransack another gun store, although the others probably wouldn't be happy about that, would they?).

Nathan shut the closet door and walked to his bed, ridding himself of the rest of the clothing on his body before he walked into the bathroom, stepping into the bathroom and turning on the faucet.

The jet stream from the showerhead took him back by surprise, and Nathan found himself propelled back into the depths of his worst memories...

_The rain had ultimately been their undoing._

_Nathan walked through the metal landscape slowly, following his superiors in the chain of command as they progressed forward._

_They had been dropped off three clicks to the west to avoid getting picked up on the enemy’s radar; their mission was to infiltrate a TO communications tower and plant explosives, hopefully giving them the edge in their upcoming conflict. To get there, they had to navigate through the metal terrain surrounding the tower, the ground clearly marking whose territory this land belonged to. Nathan had been told that this used to be a ”jungle,” a large expanse of land covered in forestry and inhabited by exotic wildlife. At least, that what the elders said, and they had lived before the TO virus took over._

_The trees that had once marked the land as ”jungle” territory had been cut down long ago; the only thing left was the occasional metal bush here and there, strewn about every five meters or so. The metal ground sounded hollow with every step the soldiers took with their heavy boots, the rain making the ground more slick and dangerous. Not to mention the pitch-black darkness of their surroundings; it was still day, but the clouds were black in the heavily-polluted areas, blocking out the sun entirely if there was even a sun in existence. Scientists had declared that the sun would have blown out by now, only driving another depressing outlook on the citizens - no, survivors._

_Nathan cursed as he squinted through the night vision goggles, gripping his rifle tighter in anxiety. The water falling from the sky was not clean at all; it had turned acidic from the pollution and would have burned away at Nathan’s skin had they all not been wearing the protective rubber suits. But they were impractical; too lumpy and slowing Nathan’s motor movements, leaving him more and more exposed. If only they could have eroded the invasive spreading metal on the ground; but this virus had been able to adapt and evolve quickly, thriving under the acidic rain._

_Unable to see anything through the steady downpour of acid, Nathan discarded the goggles, ignoring the questioning look he received from the woman on his right. Nathan had just been transferred to this new team and had not been properly introduced to all his teammates; he only knew the captain, Lance, and the first-in-command, Roth. He now relied on his cybernetic eye to guide him through this foreign terrain, grounding his feet into the metal ground with every step he took to gain a steady footing._

_Nathan saw movement out of the left corner of his eye, and he turned suddenly, calling attention to it. The spec ops team paused in their tracks, dread settling in each person’s gut. Nathan squinted through the darkness, peering through his scope, his eyes flicking for any sign of the enemy, but saw nothing._ _As he began to holster his weapon, Nathan heard a scream to the back._

_All hell broke loose._

_In a barren wasteland like this, an ambush would have been easy to see and counter. But the rain, the rain! It poured, and poured, blocking the team’s vision and left them vulnerable. There were screams, bullets firing in all directions as the soldiers fired at targets they could not see. and puddled at Nathan’s feet, staining red._

_What had once been a simple mission had now turned into a massacre. And what had at one point been only one TO beast had turned into four, and four into twenty, and the numbers kept expounding against the twelve-man team._

_They never stood a chance._

_And then, only Nathan stood in the chaos, stepping over the bodies of his fallen brothers- and sisters-in-arms, fear pulsating in his chest as he fired at the metal monstrosities. Suddenly, be was tackled from behind, a claw raised in the darkness and scratching deep at Nathan’s closed right eye - the flesh one._ _The TO beast snarled menacingly over a defenseless Nathan, who turned his face away, shutting his eyes tight as the rain stung his face and the freshly-made cut on his eye, awaiting the final life-ending blow._

_But the strike never came. Instead, the monster’s gaze was fixated on Nathan’s left arm; the metal one. It jerked back, screeching in a metallic and hollow tone to the others, and they all fled as quickly as they had come. Nathan lay there, not feeling the acid anymore as he was filled with shock and confusion._

_Later, he would stand in the bathroom, shirtless, with the TO in open sight and staring at himself in the mirror. His hand lifted up to trace the newly formed scar over his right eye, starting with a three-pronged scratch above his eye and ending with a deep and pronounced single line below his eye, resembling a trident._

_And as he gazed at his reflection with the TO virus on full display, Nathan knew that the single reason he was the only one spared in that butchering was because the TO beast had seen the TO, and knew that Nathan was already dead._

_That revelation made him want nothing more than to have died out there with the others._

Nathan blinked, opening his eyes and facing the white square tiles that adorned the walls of his shower, having escaped from the recesses of his mind and coming back to the present.

He found himself lying on his back; most likely, he had fallen on his back as themost frightening moment of the memory transpired. He got back up on shaky legs, gripping the sidebar on the side tightly. Nathan shut his eyes tight, forcing the echoing screams of the dead out of his ringing ears as the water kept falling over his head.

* * *

By the time that he had emerged from the bathroom, body dry and hair slightly damp and slicked to the side, the sun was just starting to set, the sky outside stroked with paints of pink, purple, and orange pastels. He redressed himself in the clothes he had worn earlier, about to sit down on the bed and turn on the television when there was a knock on the door.

Nathan sighed, moving toward the door and unlocking it. On the other side, Wade grinned happily, tugging at Nathan’s hand. ”C’mon, Nate! Is it alright if I call you ’Nate’? You look like a ’Nate’ to me. Wolvie told _me_ to tell _you_ that Xavier wants everyone at dinner.”

Nathan nodded, stepping outside. ”Alright. Let me lock up, and I'll meet you there.” He turned his back to Wade to insert the key and turn it in the keyhole, taken aback when he turned around again to see that Wade was still there, bouncing eagerly on the balls of his feet.

”I thought that you wouldn't mind if I walked with you to dinner,” Wade explained. ”If you don't want me to, I can go ahead...”

Nathan could hear Jean’s words in his head; _No one has the patience to deal with him... He’s misunderstood... Like you..._

”No,” Nathan spoke up. ”It’s fine. I could use the company, anyway.”

The walk toward the dining hall dissolved into a mainly one-sided conversation as Wade rambled on about his infatuation with Bea Arthur and roundabout questions directed at Nathan about the future. Nathan would answer to the best of his ability before the merc lost interest and cut him off. Surprisingly, Nathan did not find himself getting annoyed or irritated with Wade’s short attention span or the ongoing prattle. Had it been yesterday, he probably would have socked Wade in the mouth to shut him up, but Nathan suspected that there was a part of him that now _felt_ for Wade; felt bad for him and the pain that he endured to reach this point. 

And it was also growing clearer to Nathan that Wade was still grieving Vanessa’s death; there had been a single picture of the couple on the desk that was gathering dust in Wade’s room. Nathan knew that a common tactic of healing from the death of a loved one was to destroy most of the belongings in that relationship and to hold a few cherished items forever. Nathan, who had experienced the death of his own wife and daughter, could _emphasize_ with Wade, and seeing the merc continue to mask his pain with humor was extremely upsetting to Nathan, especially since he could see in the depths of Wade’s gentle brown eyes that he was hurting.

Nathan’s eyes snapped forward as the tiled ground shifted into hardwood floorboards; several mutants were in the kitchen, laughing and talking to each other as they cooked and prepared dinner for the rest of the students and staff. Nathan felt guilty that he didn't help, but saw how they were enjoying themselves and followed Wade past the kitchen into the dining hall.

There were paintings of older men and women on the upper walls; Nathan suspected that they were older relatives and ancestors of Xavier. Some of the students and X-Men we're already seated at the table, with Xavier sitting at one end of the table. Magneto sat on his right whilst Scott sat on the Professor’s left, the rest of the X-Men taking up the rest of the seats closest to Xavier save for Mystique, who sat on the other side of Magneto, laughing at something Charles had said.

The scene made something shift in Nathan’s chest; it reminded him of Aliya and Hope, the family he had chosen to leave behind in the aftermath of the fight with Russell and the Juggernaut. Seeing this spectacle only served to displace him from the group and made him feel homesick for a life he could no longer return to.

Nathan moved toward the others to sit next to Logan and Colossus (he was more comfortable around them), but Wade stopped him. ”Whoa, where do you think you’re going, Nate? It's your first meal with the team! You're sitting at the other end,” he said, pointing at the end of the table facing Xavier.

”Hell no,” Nathan said, shaking his head immediately. ”I am not going to sit there. You can't make me.”

Wade shrugged. ”Well, you're gonna have to. Unless you wanna upset Patrick Stewart over there,” he said, beckoning his head behind him in the direction of the Professor. Nathan turned his head to look around Wade, and sure enough, Xavier was nodding encouragingly and gestured with one hand to the empty seat at the end.

_Fuck my life._

Nathan set his jaw, walking stiffly back to the end of the table and taking his seat. He watched as Wade practically skipped over to Wolverine and Colossus, pushing his way in between the two, who were already sitting next to each other. Logan growled angrily, but Piotr calmly made room for the merc by moving to the empty seat on the side, allowing a gleeful Wade to be sandwiched between the two.

The dishes of food started to come in, levitating in the air with a red aura surrounding them. Jean strolled in, arms raised as she directed the food to land gently in their respective places on the table while the children who helped to cook the food came running in behind her, sitting eagerly at the table.

Marie passed by Nathan’s right, and his eyes followed her to where she took her seat on the right with Bobby and Kitty. Their friend, a young girl with short-cropped hair and pink clothing (Jubilee, was it?) was grinning and conversing happily. A little further up the table was none other than Remy LeBeau, seeming to have settled in comfortably. He was irritating Logan (who sat directly across from him) by flicking little peas with a pink aura around them at him.

Nathan squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, knowing that soon there would be the gazes of everyone in the room on him. Right on cue, Xavier lifted up his champagne glass and struck his spoon on the side, producing a sharp and clear ring that resulted in absolute silence, people ceasing their conversations immediately.

”Today, we celebrate the return of brothers and sisters abducted from our home. We celebrate the return of old friends,” Xavier started, looking fondly at Raven and Erik, ”and the introduction of new faces,” he finished, looking pointedly at Nathan, who wanted nothing more than to sink through the floor and die.

_I'm actually thinking of letting this TO virus take over..._

”Our new friend was responsible for leading a small search party in search of those taken and rescuing them from captivity and possible torture. We owe him our gratitude, and I expect all of you to treat him with the utmost respect that he deserves,” Charles continued, nodding amiably in Nathan’s direction before he turned to face the children, praising them for their work today.

Nathan sighed, relieved that the spotlight had been taken off of him for the time being. He reached for his glass of water, taking a large gulp to help replenish his suddenly dry throat.

Now, food was being distributed around the table. Nathan was conservative in what he chose; most of this food was foreign to him. In the future, they didn't have food in such abundance, and they certainly didn't have the time to fix it so appetizingly. Usually, if it was meat, it was broiled or roasted over an open fire. Vegetables and fruit were for the rich. Nathan stared at his plate, resisting the urge to laugh at the thought of himself consuming what he had considered being a commodity of the upper class...

”Why don't you tell us more about yourself?”

Nathan’s head snapped up to look at Xavier, who had directly addressed him. Nathan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to ignore the curious gazes of the children peering at him. ”My name is Nathan Dayspring, but I go by Cable. My powers are telepathy and telekinesis. I'm from the future.”

Murmurs of surprise and curiosity rippled throughout the students, but this was already made known to the X-Men themselves. Xavier smiled warmly. ”Yes, you've told us this earlier. I was wondering if you could describe your experiences in the future and what life entailed.”

Nathan’s hand tightened around the water-filled glass, eyeing Xavier warily. ”It’s not exactly a very... heartwarming subject matter.”

Xavier leaned in. ”We are all familiar with scenarios of impending doom,” he said, a sparkle in his eye as if he was telling a secret joke only meant for himself and Nathan. 

Nathan sure as hell wasn't laughing.

He leaned back in his chair, combing his hair back with his hand. ”I'm a soldier in the future. I've served in the army since I was fourteen years old; that's normally the age of enlistment. The war that we're fighting in the future is against the TO beasts; any living creature consumed by the TO virus. You can usually tell if it was an animal at one point or a person.” He paused, forcing the lingering memories out of his mind. ”The TO virus manipulated anything mechanical in origin; that's how they got their hands on the once-deactivated Sentinels. Mutants are a rare sight in the future. I've only ever met two other mutants in the span of my entire life there.”

”The pollution is another big enemy. It's brought horrible air quality and destroyed all wildlife and forestry; if it hasn't already merged with the TO virus, that is. The sky is always black. The clouds are black, sometimes grey, on a good day. You can't see the stars or the sun. Our remaining scientists have predicted that the sun has exploded by now. And the weather; hell, I don't even know where to begin. All ice on the north and south poles have been melted for a long time. We get sudden biweekly onslaughts of acidic rain, hurricanes the size of Africa, and earthquakes that span across continents with an average Ritcher’s Scale score of 8.5.”

”But the most dangerous enemy I face out there isn't the metal monsters or the environment; it’s people. People who have abandoned their sense of humanity and compassion. People who kill each other for scraps of food and ounces of water. People who will kill their own children when they are not able to provide for themselves and the rest of the family.” By now, Nathan was spitting his hatred into his words, every word leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. ”It’s a fucked up world, but it's this fucked up world that peels back the layers of the human condition and exposes us for who we _really_ are, and what we have the ability to do when we've got nothing left to lose in our lives.”

The room was suffocated in the silence that followed. 

”How charming,” Erik drawled in a manner that seemed to the normal child like he didn't care, but the adults could hear the slight waver in his voice that proved to them that even he was unsettled by this vision into the future. 

”I will be returning to the Brotherhood next week,” the metal-manipulating mutant continued. ”I take it that you won't be joining me, Mystique?”

She smiled with a hint of sadness in her eyes. ”I'm afraid not this time, Erik. I plan on staying with Charles for a little while longer and teaching the kids. I've already cleared it with him.”

Nathan only now started to eat the food on his plate, having gotten over the horrible speech he had given about his life earlier. He looked up, feeling the uneasy feeling of being watched.

The kids were busy eating away, and they did not bother Nathan. But it was Xavier’s sympathetic eyes lingering on Nathan’s figure, Jean’s worried look as she and Ororo shifted from talking to each other to turning in Nathan’s direction, Scott’s heavy gaze through his special sunglasses as he seemed to survey Nathan in a different light, Remy’s quirked eyebrow, Logan’s frown, and Piotr’s anxious face that _really_ unsettled Nathan.

And it didn't stop there; the kids that Nathan had met were flashing him troubled looks as well. Desperate for some return to normalcy, Nathan chanced a look at Wade, whose very existence challenged the definition of the word. 

Wade had been trying to capture Colossus’ attention when he finally met Nathan’s eyes. Almost as if Wade saw the hidden desperation in the depths of Nathan's eyes, the merc grinned goofily before reaching his outstretched hand into the pile of mashed potatoes on his plate. He winked slyly at Nathan before shoving the handful of potatoes onto Logan’s face, muffling his cries of protest.

”You didn't wanna build a snowman with me, so I'll just settle for _you_ being the snowman, Wolvie!” Wade said cheerfully. 

”Goddamn it all to hell, Wade!” Logan snarled as he wiped the food off his face with a napkin. ”It’s the middle of fucking _July.”_

”Oh, is it?” Wade asked innocently, turning slightly and looking out the corner of his eyes to Nathan as he batted his eyes innocently. ”I hadn't noticed. Is that why it's so hot?”

Nathan let a smile crack across his face, and it only served to make Wade’s mischievous grin grow even wider.

_I could get used to this._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan spends some time with Wade and gets to know him a little better. Meanwhile, Beast introduces a model of the device he is working on, and Nathan gives it a try.

Nathan had been quick to leave the awkward environment of the dinner, finding himself in the gardens outside and sitting on a stone bench out looking a small pond. 

By now, the sky had darkened considerably and the moonlight trickled in through the canopies of the trees. Nathan stared down at his hands in his lap, turning the metal hand over in examination, mind elsewhere. All he could think about was the world he had left behind; now, the soldiers would have to push on without Nathan’s help. Aliya and Hope would be alone and have to fend for themselves. 

Had Nathan done the right thing, abandoning the fight?

Part of himself reasoned that leaving his family and his life behind was necessary to prevent the fight _here_ so that none of it would ever happen. But there was that guilt eating away at his insides and crushing his chest; the same kind of guilt he felt when Alex had died. It was suffocating.

And then, there was the possibility of his failure. If Nathan did not succeed, then the future would progress as it has been, only Nathan wouldn't be there to lend his support. 

”Hey, Nathan Christopher Longest Name Ever Summers! Fancy running into you here!”

Nathan turned around in his seat to see Deadpool strolling down the path, arms swinging joyfully as he came up to Nathan and plopped himself down next to him. Nathan found himself shifting to the side to make room for Wade, and said automatically, ”Don't call me that.”

Wade shrugged. ”Your dad isn't here, and neither is the genetic blueprint of your to-be mother.” He started to swing his legs, staring out at the vast expanse of the garden.

Nathan exhaled deeply, feeling lighter as he tilted his head up to stare at the glowing crescent moon. ”Thank you.”

Wade tilted his head to the side, fixing a confused look at Nathan as his legs slung gently. ”What for?” 

Nathan turned so that he was now facing the other man. ”Back there, at dinner. You doing that helped make the situation a little bit... more bearable... for me. And pulled me out of bad memories. So, thank you.”

Wade stared at Nathan with an indecipherable look in his eyes before he shrugged, an easygoing grin settling on his face. "Well, that's what buddies do for each other! We help each other out, and feel less shitty about ourselves." He stopped, staring down at the ground where his feet had stopped kicking. "I guess you've been through a lot, huh?"

"So have you," Nathan pointed out. Wade sighed, turning in his seat so that he was facing Nathan a little bit more. "Yeah, but to tell you the truth, I've kind of accepted what I am, now. No matter how many jokes I crack or self-deprecate my appearance, I've kind of made peace with who I am. I was already killing people before this shit happened, so I don't have any regrets about the people I've killed. And now, I'm starting to feel a lot better about Vanessa."

At Nathan's disbelieving look, Wade frowned. "Hey, I am! When I got close to dying during the 'Russell Capades,' I talked to her. I guess you could say that I got some closure; but we're not talking about me, we're talking about _you._ And something tells me that with all the fucked up shit happening there, you didn't get away without a few scratches."

Nathan sighed, slumping back on the bench. "You're not wrong. Some ops werefucked up from the get-go. I can't recall how many people I watched die. Sometimes I knew them, sometimes I didn't. And on the flip side, there were the TO victims we gunned down; at some point, during the fight, I always remember that they used to be people before the virus took over their bodies, and I can't help but feel... hollow." He clenched his teeth tightly, deep in thought once more as Wade whistled. "Damn. That's pretty fucking hardcore," he said, chuckling lightly. 

Nathan shot him a look, and the chuckles died out pretty quickly.

"I mean," Wade hastily said to try and save face, "you shouldn't feel guilty for killing those machines. I mean, if they got to the other people, then they'd contract the virus, too. By doing what you did, you saved lives. And that's what you're doing here now! You're here to prevent any of it from ever happening, and you shouldn't feel any remorse or guilt for it. Take it from a guy that rarely feels those kinds of things."

"That's not true, and we both know that," Nathan interjected. "You and I are well aware that you felt regret for Vanessa's death when you were unable to save her, and you also showed remorse for turning Russell away. Maybe I am wrong in feeling bad for the people I left behind, but you shouldn't take things too hard on yourself, Wade."

With that, the time-traveler got up and walked away toward the mansion, leaving Wade to stare at his retreating back.

And that night, as Nathan settled into bed preparing for sleep, he had a feeling that the regular nightmares plaguing his dreams wouldn't be making their appearance that night.

* * *

The first sound that Nathan registered as he opened his eyes blearily was running footsteps outside in the hallways.

He was lying on his stomach, one side of his face pressed against the pillow. After shaking off the drowsiness, Nathan felt energized; the lack of haunting and feverish nightmares seemed to have a part in that. Groaning softly as he sat up, his gaze flew to the nightstand by his bed and the digital clock resting on it. A little after nine in the morning, which was extremely late in his standards, but it wasn't like he had anything pressing to do.

Nathan threw the covers off, walking to the bathroom to clean and freshen himself up. When he returned to the bedroom and got dressed, he went to the drawn curtains covering the glass door and opened them, wincing slightly as the harsh sunlight hit his face. Outside in the backyard, children were laughing and playing a soccer game with some of the X-Men supervising them, drinking alcohol in light amounts, and chatting with each other amiably. Nathan couldn't hear anything through the door and instead turned around to exit his bedroom to see Dr. McCoy.

He passed Wade's door on the way there, pausing slightly before it as he debated whether he should invite Wade with him. Although he had disliked Deadpool severely when they had first met, Nathan couldn't help but feel reassured whenever Wade was nearby; it was nice having someone who understood him. But despite this, Nathan turned away and walked past the door and down the stairs. This was a matter concerning himself, and he wasn't sure if Wade would appreciate it if Nathan woke him up for something completely unrelated to him.

Upon reaching Beast's office, Nathan rapped on the door twice in greeting, and the door was promptly opened. The doctor smiled in greeting, making room for Nathan to enter as Hank closed the door behind him shut. 

"I'm glad that you're here. Please, sit down," Hank said, gesturing with a blue paw toward a chair at a small circular table. Nathan did as he was told as Beast brought forth a small flat plastic cylinder. Nathan recognized it as the device outlined in the blueprints that had been shown to him the other day. He raised an eyebrow. "You finished it already?" 

Hank scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, I started yesterday and may have worked on it through the entirety of the night. My mind was preoccupied with making this; I haven't worked on anything this complex before. Anyway, I've got this working, _I hope_ ," he said, muttering the last part. "I don't know if this actually works at all, so we're going to wait before attaching this to you. Instead, we're going to hook the device up to this machine, which will transfer the energies from the device through these connections to your body. Then, we can go into the Danger Room and take everything for a test run."

Nathan nodded slowly, body tense with anticipation. "Maybe we should bring Jean or Xavier with us; it'll be good to have a telepath on the side just in case."

Beast nodded after pondering over Nathan's request. "It can't hurt. I'll bring the stuff down and alert one of them; you can make your way there and I'll see you in a few minutes."

A quiet "thanks" was uttered by Nathan as he left the office, walking leisurely to the elevator tucked away in the hallway. Within seconds, he found himself on the floor underneath the School, the metal walls and floor shining in pristine condition. Nathan walked down the single hallway slowly, looking at the uniforms displayed on the walls. He had never known that this part of the X-Mansion existed when he visited the decimated building in the future but wasn't surprised to find out it existed. Tangled in old memories and thoughts, Nathan found that he had walked long past the Danger Room entrance and instead was at the end of the hallway at a big single door with a metal "X" engraved on it.

Nathan paused, observing the door in interest as he moved forward to open it and get a glimpse behind the door...

"Not that room, Nathan!"

Jean had walked up to him from behind, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder that prevented him from reacting wildly. He nodded once in greeting before looking back to the door. "What's behind it?" he asked curiously.

"Cerebro," Jean replied instantly. "Professor X uses it to locate lost or dislodged mutant children who have nowhere else to go; he then sends some of us to retrieve them and bring them back here safely. It focuses his telepathic abilities while magnifying them at the same time. I don't have the strength or control to use it - only Xavier can."

Nathan nodded in understanding as he slowly walked away, curiousity satisfied for now. Jean smiled, leading him to the Danger Room and stepping inside. Nathan saw that there had already been props set up; seven large and rectangular tables set apart from each other all around the room with certain items on them, such as a flower vase or a stack of books. Each table had a placard on it with a specific number, labeling the tables from one to seven. Nathan turned to Jean with a confused look but was only received with a small smile and a shrug.

The sound of the door unsealing caused Nathan to turn to the only entrance where Hank had entered, dragging in the machine on its wheels and towards the other two mutants. "Alright, let's get this hooked up to you," he huffed, beckoning for Nathan to remove his shirt. Nathan was quick to do so, then moved to help Beast place the connection pads over the line of connection where flesh met metal, feeling a surge of something foreign as Hank flipped a switch. 

The sudden sensation felt like someone had driven their fist into Nathan's stomach, and he reacted in such a manner, bending over and falling to the floor on his knees. Hank made a distressed sound, moving forward to help, but Jean held him back with a raised hand, making her way to Nathan's side and kneeling to his level. "It's a lot, I know; you can let go, Nathan. The machine is doing its job, but you need to let your powers go. There's too much telekinetic and telepathic pushing."

Nathan shook his head through the pain, breathing deeply. All he focused on was the strain his body was undergoing, making his surroundings fuzzy; he thought he could make out the hissing of the door opening and closing, but he wasn't sure. The underlying constant fear that the TO virus would take over his body was nerve-wracking, and he was extremely reluctant to do as Jean was telling him to do. She seemed to pick up on this and placed a comforting hand on his back, rubbing small circles in encouragement. "I know that this might be frightening to you, but if you don't do this, you could end up killing yourself," she said, worry bleeding into the edges of her voice. "Please, Nathan. Just trust me."

Hank was focused on the screen of the machine that was hooked up to Nathan, reading his vital signs. "Heart rate is elevated," he warned. "If he doesn't settle down anytime soon, we'll have to stop."

Shutting his eyes tightly, Nathan gritted his teeth as he ever so slowly started to pull his powers away from the TO virus, letting go of the effort. When he didn't feel the metal shifting over his skin, he continued to retract more and more of his power, until the pain started to ebb away and the beeping of his heart rate from the monitor started to slow and reach a more steady beat.

Jean kept her hand on Nathan's back, closing her eyes in concentration. "The machine is working; the barrier is holding and is stable," she announced. Hank sighed in relief as Nathan slowly stood up shakily. His powers were now resting dormant in his body, and the feeling was foreign to him. It felt as though a part of him had been missing for a long time, and it had finally been returned to its rightful place. He lifted his hands, looking at the left arm and down his chest. The metal didn't shift at all; it stayed still, and he felt the fear and stress slowly leave his body.

"I'm alright," he said, after Jean had questioned him about how he was feeling. "It feels a little odd, but nothing hurts." 

She nodded in satisfaction, grinning slightly. "Well, that's one part out of the way. Let's see how strong you are." She pointed to the tables set out in the room, pointing to Table 1. "Slowly lift up that one. If you feel strained, you can just let it drop; I had trouble lifting things when I first started, too," she said.

Nathan turned his head to the left-most table, adorned with a small folded tablecloth in the center. He held out his left hand in concentration, focusing on projecting his energy at the table. Immediately, it was engulfed in a bright blue aura before it was slowly lifted into the air, continuing to move upward as it almost touched the ceiling. Behind him, he could hear Hank muttering something to Jean, but ignored it in favor of concentrating on his task.

"How... do you feel right now?" Jean asked carefully, gaze tilted upward.

"I'm feeling fine," Nathan replied, still looking at the table in the air. "I don't feel tired at all."

Jean nodded slowly, mouth open slightly. "Well, that's... great." Nathan could hear something in her tone of voice that gave him pause. "Is there something wrong?" he asked slowly.

"Nathan... look at the other tables," Jean said, the last part of her sentence coming out in a hushed voice.

He did as she told him to, scanning the floor of the room for the other tables where he had seen them last. He was surprised to see that they were no longer on the ground, and turned behind him to look at Jean and Hank, who were both staring up at the ceiling in a wide direction. They seemed to be looking in two corners of the room. Frowning, Nathan turned to follow their gazes upward, eyes widening when he saw the scene that had them silent.

The other six tables - along with their decorations - had been lifted upward in a similar fashion as the table that Nathan had intended to lift in the beginning; they were all encompassed with the same blue aura, the aura that signified Nathan's power manipulating the objects.

He was about to say something when a sharp pain struck him in the back of his head, and he removed his hand to clutch his head in agony. The tables came crashing down to the floor, breaking on impact immediately. Jean and Hank rushed to Nathan's side as he lay on the ground, groaning in pain. "What's wrong with him?" Beast asked in concern.

"Step away, please," a third voice unrecognizable to Nathan's ears at that point sounded out. It took all of his focus to hear it; all he could hear was the chaos of unfiltered voices that seemed to come in from everywhere. It was overwhelming, and his fingers dug deeper into his scalp as he tried to shut it all out, eyes open wide and staring up at the blank ceiling.

His view was obstructed when a face that wasn't Jean's or Hank's came into Nathan's vision. _Xavier._ The telepath in the wheelchair smiled sympathetically, and Nathan could feel his mind converge with his. _Hello, Nathan._

 **Charles.** Nathan found that he was communicating with the Professor without speaking verbally. **It's too loud.**

 _I know, and I am sorry, Nathan._ Charles' eyes softened. _I will have to help you in the next couple of days with your telepathic powers. Yours are extremely powerful; you are displaying power greater than Jean did. For now, I need you to bring your powers back to their previous task of blocking the techno-organic virus; Hank is currently powering off the machine._

 **Okay.** Nathan closed his eyes and focused on projecting his powers to fight against the TO virus, not feeling the pain he experienced earlier when the machine had turned on. He lay still on the ground, no longer writhing in pain and slowly removed his hands from his head. Cautiously, Nathan pushed himself onto his feet, meeting Jean's and Hank's faces. He nodded slowly. "I'm okay. The voices were overwhelming," he replied.

"Nathan is a special case," Xavier claimed as he stepped in to explain so that Nathan could recover. "Whereas you and I had been living with these abilities since we were children and slowly became accustomed to them as they grew in strength," he said, directly addressing Jean, "Nathan didn't have that same luxury. He didn't have the chance to grow into his telepathic or telekinetic abilities, which is why he was unable to only lift one table and the voices are affecting him to such a great extent."

Jean nodded in understanding. "He's extremely powerful," she remarked, studying Nathan as he pulled his shirt back on. "He's going to need help suppressing his powers after we go through with the surgery. On the bright side, the machine clearly works."

Xavier nodded, turning back to face Nathan. "We can implant the device today and I can begin to teach you how to control your powers if that is what you want. If you would like to wait, we can do this tomorrow."

Nathan shook his head. Despite the trouble with controlling his powers, Nathan had felt exhilarated when he saw the tables hovering in the air; it reminded him that he no longer had to worry about the TO virus, and that feeling of freedom was absolute bliss. Nathan didn't want to continue living in constant fear for the rest of his life; not when there was something he could do about it. "No. Let's do the surgery today," he said firmly, his mind already set.

* * *

When Nathan opened his eyes, he found himself back in the infirmary on a similar stretcher he woke up in before, groggy from the anesthetic that had put him to sleep for the procedure. He slowly sat up, clutching his head as he was afflicted with a normal headache. Frowning, his right hand flew up to his neck, feeling for and quickly finding the incision in his skin with the small device inserted underneath the skin.

Because he had been unconscious, his control over his powers had been relinquished, and they remained dormant within him, for now. That was probably for the best, seeing as he was unable to fully control them within an acceptable boundary. Nathan shifted so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, detaching himself from the EKG machine. He removed the hospital gown and donned his clothes once more before leaving the room and heading back upstairs to where the others were.

Nathan quickly navigated his way through the crowds of students flocking the hallways to get to their next class, heading to Xavier's office immediately as his anxiety started to build, worrying about a sudden telepathic episode happening.

”Pris- _cilla!”_

”Oh, fuck,” Nathan cursed under his breath as he started to walk faster, his feet trying to carry him away from Wade as fast as he could. It was ultimately all in vain, as the merc easily caught up with him and walked backward with Nathan’s fast-walking pace. ”Why are you avoiding me?” Wade asked, tone sounding genuinely hurt that it almost made Nathan stop in his tracks completely. ”Was it something I said last night? Did I overstep my boundaries? Whatever it was, I'm sorry, okay? I don't wanna push you away; you're the only friend I've got around here. And before you say anything, Colossus doesn't count! That Balls of Steel motherfucker keeps getting sent out on missions to kidnap kids and bring them here.”

Nathan exhaled nervously, a hand lifting up to his forehead as his forefinger and thumb pinched the bridge of his nose. ”Wade, I can't talk right now; I'm kind of in a bad spot. No, you did not do anything wrong. Yes, we're still friends. I’m having some issues with my newfound powers, and I need to get to Xavier,” Nathan said hurriedly as he rushed down the hall. Had he referred to Wade as a _friend?_ He supposed it was what they were at this point, with everything that had happened last night. But then again, Nathan wasn't giving this much thought.

Wade’s eyes lit up behind his mask. ”Whoa, your powers are back! That's great; are you as strong as your evil clone, Stryfe? He's an asshole, but _super_ OP as _fuck._ Does this make you an omega-level mutant, now? C’mon, man! Dish out the ’deets!!!”

Nathan let out another strangled breath as he felt the corners of his mind start to break from an unseen pressure. ”Wade, I can't talk now. I'll see you later, okay?” He was now running, frantically trying to close the distance between himself and the Professor. As he walked into the lobby where Xavier's office door stood on the wall, Nathan collapsed onto the ground, letting out a strangled cry as he clutched his head for the second time that day. His whole body trembled, making it look to the casual observer like he was going through a seizure. 

_I wonder if he likes me._

This is SO boring **_._ **

**Should I get ice-cream or a milkshake?**

_OMG, Professor Logan is so hot in that flannel shirt._

**Damn, no service. Now I can't text Raquel.**

**_WHOA!!! What the HELL happened to YOU, man? You fucking RaN oFF on mE, Priscilla._ **

Nathan’s vision was starting to blur, and his hearing was impaired with the constant flood of others’ thoughts running through his mind, but somehow, his mind happened to fixate on what he immediately recognized to be Wade’s. It was almost funny how he was unable to read Wade before, but it was much easier to do it now.

 _ **Damn, I guess I gotta carry you to Xavier, huh?**_ Nathan felt himself getting slowly lifted and thrown over Wade’s back. _**UrGH! What the hell did you EaT for BreAKfaSt, man? You weigh more than my cat, Polynesian. Like the sauce, only less sweet-like. I swear, there was SOMETHING wrong with that cat; that is, if it even WAS a cat. I mean, what kind of cat doesn't like CaTniP? It's too bad I couldn't get him high, I thought we could be druggy-buddies or something...**_

Nathan focused on Wade’s thoughts, the constant thinking allowing him to stay tuned to Wade instead of breaking away to hear the thoughts of the rest of the world. Nathan could sense Wade freeing a hand to turn the knob of a door and the muffled sounds of people talking; all Nathan could hear was the prattle of Wade’s head. 

_Hello, Nathan. I'm going to try and stop the flow of the thoughts you can hear. Just hold on a little longer._

Nathan gasped as the thundering volume of voices slowly began to subside, lowering in volume before almost disappearing entirely. They were still there, but it was more so a soft buzzing than a crescendo of a live orchestra. He found that he was sitting on the floor, and got back onto his feet with Wade supporting his arms. Once Nathan was able to stay stable on his feet, he looked down at Xavier, who had his mouth set determinedly and a serious look in his eyes. 

”Well, I believe that this is a good time to begin. Shall we, Nathan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd include a little reference to Nathan’s evil clone.  
> ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan gets a couple of lessons in his powers, and then we take a trip out for drinks at the local bar with new friends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, I refer to Cable’s telekinesis as ”TK,” just so you know for reference.

Nathan was seated, meeting Xavier’s steady gaze while Wade sat away to the side, a surprising amount of concern coming from him that Nathan could sense with his sensitive powers. Xavier nodded slowly after peeling through Nathan’s mind, getting a sense for his powers.

”I think it would be a good idea to begin by describing how to stem the flow of voices. You have great potential, Nathan. You are much more powerful than Jean, and she is one of my strongest X-Men. I wouldn't shy away from labeling you as an Omega-Level mutant.”

”Hah!” Wade muttered under his breath. ”Called it before the author of this shitty fanfic did.”

Xavier continued, ignoring Wade’s outburst naturally. ”Much like using your powers to restrict the TO virus, you need to force your telepathy to remain dormant. You were able to do this for a short time when we first tested the machine on you and you lifted the tables. You did it again for a slightly longer time after the surgery when you came to me. But these abilities are simple in their fundamentals; they have an ’on’ and ’off’ switch. You can force your telepathy to subside, and it usually happens with a simple thought. I just project to my own mind that I want to shut off all thoughts, and my telepathy obeys. Remember, you are the one in control, Nathan.”

_Your powers do not control you._

Nathan took a deep breath, shutting his eyes gently as he reached into the recesses of his own mind, pleading for his mind to let him think in peace. As he did so, the buzz of the faint voices started to lower even more, finally disappearing entirely.

Charles smiled joyously. ”Yes, you did it! This is just the first step; prevention. Now, we can work on channeling your power wisely. Like shutting it off, it also requires focus. Over time, it will become easier to do. You seem to have had a better time with controlling your telekinesis; telepathy is the same. You channel the energy - the wavelength - of your mind to tune in to the wavelength of another person’s mind. I want you to practice with me.”

Nathan’s brow furrowed in concern. ”But... you said that my powers make me an Omega-Level mutant; how are you going to be able to protect yourself if things get... rocky?”

Charles smiled softly. ”I've already taught you how to shut off the telepathy; if you hear me telling you to stop, then you will. I have faith in you.”

Nathan took a shaky breath in, once again shutting his eyes as he slowly pulled out his telepathic power, imagining it as he did his telekinesis. From the sidelines, Wade watched, enraptured as Xavier’s head was surrounded with a faint blue light.

From sitting in the Professor’s office, Nathan found himself outside in the backyard of the X-Mansion, the yard empty and peaceful. A large tree stood in the middle of the yard that wasn't there before. 

”My grandfather planted that tree,” Xavier said from behind Nathan, startling him. Charles slowly wheeled himself forward, moving next to Nathan. ”This is my mindscape; every person has one when you first enter their mind. Usually, there are gateways. Entering the mansion, for instance, will give you complete access to my memories and even allow you to control my body if you so desire. You are able to hear my thoughts in here.” Xavier looked forward, staring morosely at the large tree. ”Your father cut that tree down when he first came to us. I climbed up the tree and swung from it in my childhood.”

Nathan winced. ”... Sorry,” he said, unsure of why he felt the need to apologize for something that Scott had done.

Xavier gave an amused smile. ”You have your father's morals and dreams of peace. It's good to see that reflected in a person with your power. The real question is, how will you obtain that piece? Through extreme violence? Or perhaps a more diplomatic and demonstrative route?”

Nathan shook his head. ”I'm a soldier. I fight for people who have good intentions. If their methods are shifty or unclear, I don't do it.”

Xavier nodded as a soft and gentle breeze flee through the mindscape. ”It’s a multi-faceted war that we face every day. Mutants against our own kind and humans. Even if you try and live a neutral life, everyone gets pulled into the fight at some point in their life.” He sighed, sounding weary. ”I've always wanted this fight to end, but humans fear that which they do not understand, and we suffer for it. And fear sparks more fear, and then some mutants take it upon themselves to strike back, only adding fuel to the fire.” His eyes were sad and misty, seeming to recall events long ago.

Nathan hesitated, biting the inside of his cheek. ”I'm sorry, Xavier. I'm just not what you're looking for. I'm no messiah; I'm just a guy that only knows how to resolve problems by eliminating the said problem. And I'm not good with words, either.”

Xavier smiled softly, nodding in agreement. ”I suppose you are right. But don't discredit yourself so much; you have so much potential, Nathan. I'm sure that if Scott - if he was cognizant that he was your father - would be very proud of you and would wholeheartedly support your decisions.”

They stood there for a while longer, taking in the peaceful dream-like scene before Xavier voiced his request to leave, and Nathan withdrew himself from the Professor’s mind.

When Nathan found himself back in the office, he found himself scanning the room out of habit and saw Wade, who had fallen asleep. He was sitting in a wooden chair, head tilted back with his legs crossed and raised, resting on the edge of the Professor’s desk. 

He met Xavier’s eyes, the man nodding in satisfaction. ”I have taught you everything I can for telepathy. It is how you use it that defines who you are as a mutant as well as a person. A tip I have for keeping your telekinesis steady is to think small; you put a great amount of concentration to lift that single desk, and this effort of channeling that power spread out to lift the others. You only need a small amount of energy to lift a table, so adjust yourself accordingly.”

Nathan nodded, leaning forward in his seat as Wade continued to snore lightly in the background. ”I - thank you, Professor. You took me in and helped me gain and wield my powers; I don't know how to thank you.”

Xavier smiled, a twinkle in his eye. ”Let us not be on opposite sides of the battle. I do not know who would emerge victorious in a telepathic battle.”

Nathan nodded seriously. ”I sincerely hope that it never comes to that.” He stood up, shaking Charles’ hand firmly and yet grasping it gently. ”Thank you.” Nathan turned his attention to Wade, finding it significantly easier to do _anything_ without having to worry about the explosion of others’ thoughts in his head. He shook Wade’s shoulder gently, but the merc did not respond. Sighing and meeting Xavier’s amused face with an exasperated look of his own, Nathan lifted Wilson into a bridal-style fashion, moving to the door. Slyly, he opened the door with his TK power, the doorknob engulfed in a bright neon blue light as it rotated and the door swung open. 

Nathan gave the Professor one last grateful smile before stepping outside, using his telekinesis again to shut the door behind him. 

* * *

As Nathan walked up the stairs with Wade in his arms to the dormitories, Wade started to murmur in his sleep discontentedly. ”No... Not the chimichangas, you evil, evil man!” he said in a distressed voice. 

Nathan snorted in amusement, reaching the upper floor as he transported Wade through the hallways. Wade continued to shift in Nathan’s hold, still in anxiety. Nathan quickly located Wade’s bedroom door, starting at the lock. He didn't know where Wade kept his key on his person, but he wasn't going to bother wasting time looking for it. A blue glow surrounding this doorknob as well as Nathan worked the insides of the lock mechanism, grinning slightly when he heard the small clicking sound that signified that the door had been unlocked. 

Walking inside and making sure not to trip over any of the items scattered about on the floor, Nathan made his way through the minefield toward Wade’s bed, setting the merc down gently under the blanket. After seeing that Wade was content, Nathan started to move toward the door to leave when he heard Wade make a small keeping sound from the back of his throat. ”... Ness, don't go... Don't leave me, please.”

Nathan’s eyes softened as he looked down at Wade, moving his hand to rest lightly on the other’s forehead as Nathan peered inside to observe this nightmare. In Wade’s dream, he was sobbing as he clutched the broken and dead body of his lover, pawing desperately at her chest in a futile effort to stem the blood loss. Nathan wasn't a stranger to dreams like this one; he knew that at any moment, this Dream-Vanessa would rise up from death and talk to Wade, exposing and then exploiting his darkest fears and regrets. Nathan shut his eyes tight as he looked through Wade’s memories, searching for a good memory that he and Vanessa had shared when she was alive and well. 

The haunting and depressing scene morphed before Nathan’s eyes, and he found himself in the same apartment flat, but with Wade and Vanessa lying on the bed, side-by-side as they stared into each other’s eyes, conveying their love for each other through their gazes. Nathan took this as his cue to leave, finding himself back in Wade’s room. Casting one last look-over to ensure that Wade was content, Nathan finally left, closing the door and working the lock with his TK again to lock it securely. 

”Nathan?”

Schooling himself from decking the surprise speaker out or reflex, Nathan turned around to see Scott Summers himself in the hallway. ”It’s ten o’clock,” he said, fixing his special glasses as he fidgeted in his stance. ”The other X-Men and I were going to head out to the town and grab a couple of beers. Wanna come with?”

Nathan frowned in confusion, crossing his arms. ”Who’s coming?” he asked, pondering over his decision to accept the invitation.

”Jean, Ororo, Hank, Piotr, Remy, Logan, Kurt, Mystique, Warren and Alex are joining us,” Scott listed off. ”I think Magneto said he was coming to supervise and drink one.”

”Who’s Warren?” Nathan asked, his lip curling with distaste at the mention of Erik’s codename.

”He’s Angel,” Scott clarified. ”He’s got these wings. Don't worry, he's strapping them to his back so that we won't bring attention to ourselves; not that it should matter since we’ve rented out the bar for the night.”

Nathan nodded in understanding. ”And... Alex?” His voice caught on the utterance of his deceased friend, but luckily, Scott didn't seem to pick up on it.

”He’s my older brother,” Scott answered. ”His abilities are similar to mine, but he got the lucky end of the stick; he can channel his plasma energy into waves or rings of energy.”

Nathan hesitated before he decided to finally give in. ”Fine. Are we driving?”

Scott shook his head, starting to walk away. ”It's not too far from here; we'll be walking there.”

* * *

Nathan had paid a quick visit to his room, dressing up in a dark brown - almost black - leather jacket with a white cotton short-sleeved undershirt. His dark navy jeans were held with a simple black belt around his waist.

Nathan soon emerged from the mansion, meeting with the others outside the entrance at the bottom of the stone staircase. He was greeted with mixed emotions; some with friendly smiles, others with utter disregard, or complete disinterest. They were waiting for Logan to finish making his rounds in making sure that the kids were asleep and that no one would be sneaking out. 

”If he doesn't hurry up, let's just ditch him,” a voice said that Nathan wasn't familiar with. He turned around, coming face-to-face with a taller man who slightly resembled Scott, carrying the same authority around him. ”I don't think we've met,” he said, extending his hand in greeting. ”I'm called Havok, but you can just call me Alex. I'm Scott’s older brother.”

Nathan nodded. ”Cable, but my name is Nathan. Scott’s told me about you.”

Alex quirked an eyebrow. ”Good things, I hope,” he joked lightly, stepping aside as another man stepped in from the side, nodding in greeting. ”I saw we were doing introductions here, so I thought I'd join. I'm Warren, nicknamed Angel.” Nathan introduced himself again, taking the man’s outstretched hand and shaking it firmly. Alex opened his mouth, about to say something when his gaze shifted to look past Nathan’s shoulder, and a grin split his face. ”Look, here comes the grumpy Canadian!”

Mocking cheers rang out as Logan descended the stairs, waving his hand sarcastically in response to the jeering. ”Took you long enough, old man!” Ororo called out playfully.

Logan grinned good-naturedly, baring his teeth. ”If you wanna take over the night rounds, be my guest.” He joined the group, removing a cigar from the confines of his jacket and lit it. ”Well, what are we waitin’ for? I intend to get fucking hammered; no classes tomorrow, it's the weekend.”

The group slowly dispersed into a single-file line, Scott taking the lead ahead through a forest trail as Nathan fell to the back, accompanied by Colossus. Nathan tilted his head to the side as he studied the metal behemoth. ”You look worse than I do, and that's saying something,” Nathan said, making sure his voice didn't carry to those ahead. ”What the hell happened?”

Piotr sighed, sounding guilt-ladden and remorseful. ” I was sent to retrieve young girl,” he started, his Russian accent especially thick with the emotions running through him. ”She fled from us; didn't know that we were trying to help. Ran right to mutant hunters; they shot as killed her before we could do anything.”

Nathan shook his head. _Shit._ ”It's not your fault, you know. You couldn't have done anything else, and we can't save everyone.”

Colossus took in a shaky breath; it was startling to see him in a flesh body. ”If I had been more careful in talking to her; if I had seen the signs...” He broke off, voice choked with emotion. 

Nathan frowned. ”I felt that way, too. About the war and those who died. I felt that if I had fought a little more or put myself out there past the front line that I could have saved them or finished the mission. But I know now that there was nothing more I could do. What is in the past has to stay there; instead of moping forever over a child that has already died, focus on making sure that the next rescue op doesn't go the same way.”

Piotr didn't say anything the entire rest of the way, leaving Nathan with the awkward silence that he had become accustomed to whenever he was with the X-Men. Finally, the group broke through the tree line, a small but clean-looking bar at the bottom of a small hill. 

”Thank you, friend,” Piotr spoke up finally, turning to give Nathan a grateful look. There was still a sad glint in his eyes, but he seemed to look better.

Nathan nodded, raising a hand slowly in hesitation until he patted the other man on the back in comfort. ”Of course.”

The mutants made their way down to the bar, stepping inside as their individual conversations we're wrapped up. Alex, Jean, and Mystique went to the bar to order drinks while the other went to the large oval table in the back corner of the place, shrouded in darkness save for a single lamp hung over the table. Nathan sat down in one of the seats, sandwiched between Colossus on his left and Logan on his right.

Raven and Alex made their way back to the group, beers in hand with Jean trailing behind them, using her powers to levitate the bottles in the air.

The drinks were set on the table, and Nathan grabbed for one after several others had retrieved theirs. ”Alright, alright. What should we drink to?” Warren said through a wide grin, silencing the others.

”Maybe we should leave that to the new guy,” Alex said, smiling expecting at Nathan, who raised an eyebrow at the number of looks cast his way.

Sighing, he set his bottle on the table, studying the side of it. ”To new friends and a new life,” he said, raising his bottle before taking a giant swig from it, the others echoing his statement happily as they copied his movements.

Logan snorted softly, whispering under his breath so that only Nathan could hear him, ”Read that off the label of the beer bottle, huh? Nice.”

Nathan shrugged an incremental amount. ”Now you know what to do the next time you do one of these.”

After getting into his third beer, Nathan had long tuned himself out of the conversation that the others were having, staring at his hands that nursed the bottle on the table drifting off in thought when the calling of his name snapped him out of his trance.

”I'm not repeating my life’s story again,” Nathan said stubbornly and grumpily hoping to deflect the conversation away from him.

Warren waved him off, cheeks flushed slightly red. ”Nah, dude. Scott filled us in on all that dark future shit. He said you had a family, right? What was that like?”

Nathan frowned, looking up and tearing his eyes away from his mismatched hands. ”Why’d you want to know?”

Alex winced, elbowing Warren, who squawked indignantly. ”Sorry; he's just curious. None of us have ever actually settled down with a person in marriage. Scott and Jean are getting close, though!” he said, winking in the couple’s direction.

Nathan sighed, leaning back slightly in his seat. ”I met my wife Aliya in a medical tent when I was stationed in a part of what used to be the Pacific Ocean. The water was all dried up; it was just pure desert. I had been shot and she was the doctor treating me. I met her a couple of times on the base after that, and then we went out for drinks and started dating after that. We got married just six months later.”

”Really?” Kurt asked, eyes wide as he was pulled into the narrative. ”Only six months?”

”In that time, you had no idea when you were going to live on to see the next day or die that night,” Nathan explained. ”We loved each other and wanted to make it official before it became too late and morphed into a regret. My daughter, Hope, was born a little over a year after our marriage. When Russell... killed her, she was seven. I came back in time to save them, and here I am.”

”It must have been difficult for you to let go,” Ororo murmured sympathetically. Nathan shook his head. ”I'm past that; I'm staying here to prevent that version of the future from ever existing,” he said determinedly. 

Jean smiled softly. ”That’s a good reason to stick around. Maybe you could convince people to lower their carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions,” she suggested.

Nathan snorted. ”Easier said than done.” He went back to staring at his beer bottle, rotating it in his palm.

Jean spoke up again, eyes fixated on Nathan. ”How did your session go with Xavier?”

Logan turned in his seat as well suddenly, the others doing the same. ”I didn't know you spoke alone with Chuck,” Logan spoke aloud.

Hank brought himself into the conversation, ”I was working on a device to help suppress Nathan's TO virus from spreading so that he could fully access his powers. While the machine worked, the full force of his powers hit him hard; he wasn't slowly exposed to it like Jean or Charles. He went to Charles for help with controlling his abilities.”

Nathan nodded in confirmation. ”Yeah. And it went fine,” he said, answering Jean’s question. ”I can suppress the voices and read others’ minds with concentration. Xavier said that with more practice it'll come naturally.”

She nodded in response. ”That’s how it was for me. A little tip, use your powers as frequently as possible. Maybe not your telepathy, but your telekinesis. Use it to open doors, pour a cup of coffee in the kitchen from your bedroom.”

Remy, who had been getting into a heated argument with Logan earlier, studied Nathan through narrowed eyes. ”You're a mind-reader and a mover? Well, show us somethin’ already!”

Nathan flexed his arm nervously. ”I'm still new at this,” he warned, but acquiesced. His cybernetic eye flashed for a second as his blue aura engulfed Remy’s chair, dragging it backward across the floor on all four legs with a little force, jolting his beer and spilling some on his leg before Nathan pushed him back toward the table.

Remy scowled, grabbing a couple of napkins and wiping himself dry. ”Asshole,” he muttered under his breath as the others around him laughed.

As more and more alcohol was consumed, the others became more vocal and spoke brazenly, whilst Nathan started to slow down his intake, not wanting to deal with a big hangover the next day. Stories of embarrassing moments were exchanged freely, and Nathan would sometimes voice in a sarcastic or witty quip at the right moment, only serving to make the others roar harder in their raucous laughter.

All the while, Erik was on the far end of the table, expression stony and unreadable, showing no signs of emotion whatsoever. Nathan decided to take a chance, moving away from a slumping Logan and taking the empty seat next to the startled metal manipulator. 

”What do you want?” Erik asked grumpily. 

Nathan leaned back in his chair comfortably, looking out at the inebriated X-Men. ”Nothing. Just thought that I’d sit here from a less crowded position.”

Erik stared down at Nathan’s left metal arm, narrowing his eyes. ”Why can't I move your arm?”

Nathan looked down to his left arm as well, shifting his hand slightly. ”Psionic barrier,” he replied. ”I thought it’d be a good way to help channel my powers so that I don't get overwhelmed all the time.” As he said this, he used his TK to lift a pool ball from the game table and fling it at himself. The psionic barrier, which was at first invisible, turned blue in the area where the ball struck it, revealing the barrier before the color faded and it was invisible to the naked eye once more.

Erik fixed him with a thoughtful gaze. ”The Brotherhood could use a man like you,” he said slowly, ”We are fighting for mutant rights, just as Xavier is.”

”And yet,” Nathan interjected, ”you always seem to be on opposing sides. Probably because you are ultimately striving for mutant supremacy whilst Xavier is seeking equal rights. Don't try and fool me; I've read my history.”

Erik smiled out of the corner of his mouth that could have been mistaken as a grimace. ”You don't seem to be the pacifist activist. No, Nathan. You are a soldier, and soldiers fight.”

Nathan lifted his bottle, pausing before he took a drink. ”I know that I'm a soldier, but at the same time, I really don't want to force humans into a life of subjugation. No thanks,” he said, putting out the last remark with force as he got up and walked to the door to leave. 

* * *

When he stepped outside, Nathan was hit with the sudden drop in temperature, exhaling in the cold and watching his breath materialize. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he slowly strolled forward, walking up the hill and retreating into the forest on his way back to the X-Mansion.

As he walked on the path, the fallen leaves making a crisp crunching sound under his feet every time he took a step, Nathan reminisced about his family. Aliya would probably be worried sick about Nathan not coming home, although she wouldn't show it; she was a strong woman. And Hope’s birthday was in a month; Nathan felt a pang of sadness after realizing that he wouldn't be there to celebrate it with her.

Filled with this sense of melancholy, Nathan sighed heavily, trudging through the forest until he came to the other edge of the forest clearing, able to see the X-Mansion from his position. Nathan’s eyes narrowed, seeing a cloud of black moving across the ground from the gates of the school and toward the School. Eyes widening in realization, Nathan started to run toward the building, sending out a powerful telepathic message to everyone in the building in warning of the upcoming attack.

Nathan ran through the lawn, years of endurance training helping him as he closed the distance between himself and the School. Slowly, his feet began to lift off of the ground, and he stopped, realizing that he was hovering now, in the same manner as Jean, encased in his blue aura. He propelled himself further, slowly descending from a height the same size of the School to the soldiers initiating the attack.

Much to his dismay, about half of the enemy strike team had already breached the building, and he started to deal with those who hadn't gotten inside. He threw the nearest soldier backward with his mechanical arm, easily sending the guy sprawling to the ground. His cybernetic eye flashed threateningly as he lifted multiple soldiers in the air with his TK, smirking slightly as he threw them against the ground, effectively pinning them. He breached all their minds at once, their confusion making it easier to do so. Nathan forced them to sleep, and the soldiers passed out, incapacitated. 

Looking up again, Nathan ran up the stairs and threw the doors open, seeing Wade wide awake in the lobby as he pummelled at the intruders brutally, using non-lethal force (a baseball bat) to knock them out. He looked up, catching sight of Nathan before he turned his attention back to the fray. ”Two of the assholes got past me,” he shouted over the sounds of violence. ”I think they're headed for the kids!”

”Got it,” Nathan shouted back in return. ”Are you sure you don't need help?”

Wade lifted another soldier’s gun, pointing it to the ceiling as it fired wildly before he slammed the point of the bat between the guy’s eyes. ”I've got this,” he said resolutely. ”Go!”

Nathan spun on his heel, taking off for the stairs as he quickly ran up, his mind scanning frantically for the minds and locations of the other two hostiles, kicking down the nearest bedroom door.

Behind it was a young boy - no more than six years old - and Charles Xavier who was by the child’s bedside. Nathan reasoned quickly that Charles had probably been here to comfort the boy when the attack happened. The soldiers each pointed a gun at different people, one at Charles and the other at the boy. The child sniffed, shaking in his bed with the covers drawn up to his chin, silent tears streaking down his face. Charles flashed Nathan a quick look of desperation, and Nathan knew that the Professor couldn't do anything without the boy potentially getting hurt. 

”Drop to the ground, or we’ll shoot both of them!” one of the soldiers shouted antagonistically. Nathan studied the two threats in the room before he nodded, arms raised in the air in surrender, and bowed his head as he slowly got onto his knees...

Suddenly, his head snapped up as a protective blue psionic barrier surrounded both Xavier ad the child, and when the bullets bounced harmlessly to the floor after hitting the blue barrier, the Professor was quick to capitalize on the opportunity, and the soldiers slumped to the ground within seconds, passed out.

The boy was freely sobbing shakily, and Charles moved to hug and comfort him, sending Nathan a grateful look. ”Could you please secure these intruders somehow and come to my office? You can bring Deadpool, as well.”

Nathan nodded, turning around as he lifted the soldiers with his TK, carrying them out of the room as he walked down the stairs to join Wade in the lobby. Nathan dropped the soldiers none-too-gently on the pile of unconscious bodies that Wade had already formed, taking a moment to look Wade over. ”Are you alright? Nothing too bad?”

Wade shrugged, a manic grin on his face as his eyes sparkled. ”Just got clipped with a bullet to the side, but I'm good. I've been _dying_ for some action like this. Of course, the No Killing Rule takes away from the fun, but it was fun. How ’bout you?”

Nathan tilted his head to the side, feeling and hearing a pop. ”I'm good. I got a chance to exercise my powers on some punching bags.”

Wade snorted. ”You have a funny bone? Who would've thunk?” He kicked the nearest unconscious intruder to him. ”What do you wanna do with them?”

”Xavier told me to round them up and secure them; he'll probably be questioning them later,” Nathan responded, eyes flicking outside as he brought the bodies he knocked out outside to the pile, making ten turn into twenty. 

”Oh, it's a good day!” Wade squealed happily like a kid at Christmas. ”I need to get my duct tape first; isn't duct tape such a great word? Duct tape, duct tape, duct tape - I could go on forever saying that,” he rambled as be ran upstairs to retrieve said item.

Nathan’s eyes tracked the merc up the stairs before he disappeared from view, and then his eyes flew to the ceiling that was riddled with bullet holes, evidence of the men’s struggle with Wade. Nathan followed a particular stream of holes from one corner of the ceiling to the opposite corner, which then trailed down the wall and ended at the floor. He grimaced. _Xavier is NOT going to be happy about that._

The sounds of Wade whistling joyously caused Nathan to move from his stationary position, grabbing some guys with his hands as others with his TK as he arranged them into a tight circle around a large pillar in a corner of the lobby. He carefully went through each soldier, making sure that no one had any additional weapons. After confiscating everything, Nathan nodded toward Wade, who then started skipping around in circles as he trailed the duct tape behind him, somehow effectively wrapping the enemies tightly and restrictively with his childish behavior. Finally, Wade was left with a bare cardboard base, which he tossed over his shoulder carelessly, both Nathan and himself observing his handiwork. 

”That was fun while it lasted,” Wade said lightly as he raised his arm to rest it over Nathan’s shoulder, which Nathan took with stride. ”Professor wants us in his office,” Nathan spoke up, moving toward the office with Wade following him eagerly. Nathan opened the unlocked door, letting Wade walk in first before he followed. 

”Where were you?” Wade asked curiously. ”You smell like cheap beer and came from outside. Did you go to a bar without inviting me?” he asked with faux hurt. 

Nathan shrugged. ”X-Men invited me to get a couple of drinks with them. They got really drunk, and I left early. I got here just in time. And you were asleep,” Nathan added hurriedly, mistaking Wade’s hurt tone for being genuine, ”I didn't want to wake you.”

Wade nodded in understanding, suddenly frowning at a sudden realization. ”Did Logan strip and give someone a lap dance? He did that the last time we hung out for drinks, but he doesn't believe me.”

Nathan barked out a short laugh. ”No, but the odd thing is, I can see that happening.”

The door to the study opened, and Charles wheeled himself in. Nathan and Wade turned to greet the Professor, who seemed tired. ”Sorry for taking so long,” he said wearily, ”Trenton was having trouble settling down and going to sleep. I wanted to thank you both for keeping the children safe and for helping me out of that gnarly situation,” he said, directing the last part toward Nathan.

Wade waved his hand in dismissal. ”Anything for the children, Stewart! Although, I will accept a gratuitous donation in the form of a check - hmph!”

Nathan’s eye flashed blue as he placed a TK barrier over Wade’s mouth, effectively silencing him. ”Anything we could do to help,” he answered for the both of them, shooting Wade a warning side glance before letting go of the merc’s mouth. 

Xavier let a grin settle on his face. ”Actually, I was particularly surprised that the X-Me didn't join the fight. Where are they?”

Nathan blinked in confusion. ”We went out to a local pub for drinks. Scott didn't tell you?” 

Xavier’s facial expressions turned from bewildered to understanding to furious and then to a schooled mask. ”Really?” he asked in a low voice. ”No, I was not informed until now. Thank you both; you can retire to your dorms. I think I will wait for them to return.”

Nathan knew from the tone of Xavier’s voice that the others were in _deep_ shit, but he was feeling exhausted and not willing to push his luck against an infuriated Professor. So, he and Wade walked up the stairs, Wade talking for the both of them as they said their farewells and retreated to their individual rooms.


End file.
